Falcons sign kicker Giorgio Tavecchio to replace injured Matt Bryant for Week 7

The good news is that Matt Bryant’s injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term problem. The bad news is that he’ll miss at least one week, which is why the Falcons went out and signed former Raiders kicker Giorgio Tavecchio.

Per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it’s all but a done deal for Tavecchio, who hit just over 75% of his kicks a season ago. He has a good leg but has just one season of NFL regular season experience and, as his percentage attests, was not the most accurate kicker in the NFL a year ago. He is certainly one of the better options available on the open market, however, and Atlanta is familiar with him after taking a hard look at him over the summer.

We’ll hope Tavecchio fares well during his time in Atlanta, and we’ll hope his time in Atlanta is brief. The Falcons will need steady Matt Bryant if they’re going to stay in the hunt the rest of this season.