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The Falcons elected to waive five players just ahead of tonight's draft. The timing is a surprise, to say the least, but there are no true shocks in the group.
The Falcons have waived safety Brandon Bishop, offensive lineman Reid Fragel, CB Jordan Mabin, LB/DE Jacques Smith and RB Ronnie Wingo.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 1, 2015
The closest to a true surprise has to be Jacques Smith. The fiery linebacker made a big impression on fans during Hard Knocks last year and looked like the kind of tenacious player the Falcons often prize. With a new coaching staff in place and a raft of linebackers on the roster today, though, it appears he simply lost the numbers game. I wish him well wherever he lands.
Bishop was a longshot for the secondary, Fragel had an outside shot at stealing the last tackle spot on the roster, Mabin wasn't a terrific fit for the secondary given what Dan Quinn is looking for and Ronnie Wingo just keeps bouncing around the NFL. Again, we wish all these guys well.
Your thoughts on these cuts?