Atlanta Falcons sign rookie TE Jaeden Graham, reach settlement with DT Joey Ivie

The Atlanta Falcons have tried in earnest to solve their tight end problem since Tony Gonzalez retired. Jacob Tamme was a fantastic stopgap, but he’s long gone. Austin Hooper has the talent to develop into a top-flight tight end, but to be frank, he has yet to actually reach that potential. Many in the fan base would’ve welcomed the selection of a tight end in the early rounds of April’s NFL draft. But alas, the Falcons had bigger priorities.

Going forward the Falcons will hope and pray that everything clicks for Hooper. In Logan Paulsen the Falcons already have a solid blocking tight end. But looking at third string and beyond, they’ve committed to adding as many camp bodies as possible, just in case. Eric Saubert, Alex Gray, Troy Mangen (UDFA), and Jake Roh (UDFA) are the developmental guys the Falcons hope to strike gold with. Add one more name in the mix as of today: Jaeden Graham.

Graham just graduated from Yale so he’s super smart and stuff. He’s also a converted linebacker with only one year of experience playing as a tight end. He was All-Ivy and at 6’4, 250 pounds, he’s got the size to play at the next level.

Ivie was on the practice squad for most of last year. He didn’t log a single regular season snap. He absolutely had a shot at making the team in 2018, given the current DT depth chart. Oh well.