Atlanta Selects 53 Man Roster, Waives OG Harland Gunn, DT Travian Robertson

The Falcons cut down to a final 53 man roster Saturday, moving on from 10 players to complete a difficult round of cuts that began Friday afternoon.

We knew all along that the Falcons would have more difficult decisions to make today, particularly after a round of Friday purges that contained only one or two mild surprises in the form of Pat Angerer and perhaps Yawin Smallwood. That was definitely the case, as the Falcons let go of both UDFAs Jacques Smith and Bernard Reedy and fifth round rookie Ricardo Allen.

Here's the full list of Saturday's cuts:

• WR Bernard Reedy
• CB Ricardo Allen
• OLB Jacques Smith
• TE Mickey Shuler
• WR Jeremy Ebert
• DT Travian Robertson
• WR Geraldo Boldewijn a/k/a Amsterdam
• S Sean Baker
• G Harland Gunn
• T Terren Jones

If you'll recall, the Falcons already cut 12 players on Friday to bring the roster down to 63. The full list of those cuts follows:

The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have waived defensive end Nosa Eguae, fullback Maurice Hagens, cornerback Jordan Mabin, wide receiver Freddie Martino, safety Kimario McFadden, tight end Jacob Pedersen, offensive lineman Adam Replogle, defensive tackle Donte Rumph, linebacker Yawin Smallwood. The club also released linebacker Pat Angerer, offensive tackle Pat McQuistan, and running back Josh Vaughan.

With this latest round, the Falcons have more or less settled on their final roster, though a few signings and waiver pickups are likely to follow. Look for the creation of the practice squad Sunday after noon, when all players released the last two days will officially clear waivers.

Ricardo Allen is a huge surprise. If my memory serves, this is the highest drafted pick cut since CB William Middleton at the top of the fifth round. Allen could not beat out Robert McClain, Josh Wilson and Javier Arenas for the nickel spot, and was likely too inconsistent to make the roster. He will go to the practice squad if he is not claimed on waivers.

Travian Robertson was having a good camp but seems to have struggled to secure a roster spot with Atlanta's crowded DT position. As a Falcon, Robertson was never able to turn his massive size and strength into snaps and impact plays.

Geraldo Boldewijn was waived with an injury settlement. He got plenty of screen time on Hard Knocks but is the perfect player for the practice squad. He has great size and speed but just cannot catch the football. "Amsterdam" needs a year or two to polish up his game before he can be relied upon to contribute. If he heals up quickly, I would not be surprised to see Atlanta try to bring him back on the practice squad.

Jacques Smith could not secure a roster spot, despite Atlanta's lack of depth at the position. He looked pretty rough and was ejected from the third preseason game. He is probably one of the best bets for the practice squad.

Bernard Reedy was a fan favorite that showed some very nice speed but was struggling for limited wide receiver spots after Devin Hester, Eric Weems and Courtney Roby. I fully expect Reedy to make it to the practice squad with Smith.

Interesting to see Mickey Shuler gone, as the Falcons do not have much on the roster at tight end. Looks like Atlanta will stick with one pass catcher, one blocking tight end and hope for the best.

Jeremy Ebert looked very good during camp, getting nice separation and showing good hands. He quickly disappeared as soon as he put on pads and saw contact.

Your thoughts? What do you like about the roster and who do you want on the practice squad?