Devin Hester placed on short-term injured reserve, Falcons make flurry of roster moves

The Falcons made some moves today, all of which come as surprises.

Falcons bring back Godfrey and Moeaki, release Shuler and place Hester on short-term IR: http://t.co/nw0IFyTcto

— Andrew Hirsh (@andrewhirsh) October 6, 2015

I had thought we were inching closer to Devin Hester's return from a turf toe injury, but it appears the notoriously lingering ailment will put him on the shelf for a while. He won't be eligible to return until Week 13, so the Falcons can expect to be without their best return option until at least a potential (likely?) playoff push. Nick Williams is going nowhere now, and he may even get a chance to handle some returns himself.

Shuler was a stopgap option, and it appears Tony Moeaki is healthy enough to re-join the team. A pass-catching tight end with a long injury history, Moeaki offers some genuine upside in this offense, and should pair with Levine Toilolo this week to give the Falcons a 1-2 punch until Jacob Tamme returns. Once Tamme does come back, it'll be interesting to see if Moeaki sticks around. I'm willing to bet he'll be immediately useful in this offense, either way.

Finally, Charles Godfrey makes his triumphant return to the team after being cut in favor of UDFA rookie Robenson Therezie earlier this year. Godfrey gives the team safety depth until Ricardo Allen's return, but may not survive past that point unless he's able to gain some playing time and play well.

All in all, a busy and surprising day for the Falcons. Going without Hester is hardly ideal, but the Falcons will just have to power on without him.