Falcons sign DB Jason Hall, waive RB Terrence Magee

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Ito Smith in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, which essentially spelled doom for any running backs who had a hope of making this year’s roster as a Terron Ward replacement. The Falcons further reinforced that by making a move today that saw a veteran running back hitting the open market.

The back in question is Terrence Magee, who had hung around in a post-Ward world as the likeliest veteran option to be the third running back. The Falcons elected to add Smith, a canny runner with excellent hands, and there was virtually no chance that Magee was going to beat him out. Thus, he has been waived, and we wish him well as he looks to hook on with another team.

The player they added is a former Texas safety by the name of Jason Hall, who is expected to play defensive back in Atlanta, and likely safety. Hall is an extreme longshot to hang on to a spot, of course, but he benefits from a relatively unsettled safety depth chart that has room for a fourth player. It helps that Hall dabbled at linebacker and has the size to play the position, and played close to the line of scrimmage as a pass rusher at times in his collegiate career, giving him a bit of versatility that might endear him to the coaching staff. With a 4.5 40 to his name and a reasonably productive college career--even if he lost his starting job in his senior season—he’s at least an interesting addition.

He’ll have to claw his way past the likes of Marcelis Branch, Chris Lammons, and other players with a mild head start, even so. We’ll see if he can beat the odds and do so.