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The Falcons have cut ties with five players as their final preseason game approaches, bringing the roster one step closer to the 53 man limit the team will have to abide by as of 4 p.m. Saturday.
The first and most notable cut is a sad one for many reasons. Kevin Graf was one of the few veteran tackle options the Falcons had, and probably would have had a leg up on the swing tackle battle initially had he not gotten hurt multiple times this summer. The most recent injury, in the third preseason game, saw Graf carted off the field and will cost him his spot with the Falcons. You hate to say it go down that way, but I’m hopeful Graf will be able to latch on somewhere once he’s healthy.
ROSTER: We waived 4 players and have reached an injury settlement with OT Kevin Graf.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 30, 2017
- https://t.co/mQNEzci0T9https://t.co/duaR0rsJ0C pic.twitter.com/VPmkOymBfi
The other four are wide receiver Reginald Davis III (leaving only one Reggie Davis on the roster!), tackle Will Freeman, and safeties Deron Washington and Jordan Moore. None of these players had received a ton of playing time up to this point, and none had managed to distinguish themselves with their limited opportunities. The Falcons are now down to a handful of options for the final receiver spot, have safety more or less settled, and will let the likes of Andreas Knappe, D.J. Tialavea and Daniel Brunskill duke it out for a practice squad spot at tackle.
We wish every one of these players well, and we’ll see what cuts the days ahead bring.