Falcons add TE Carson Meier with Austin Hooper, Luke Stocker banged up

Just a few weeks ago, the Falcons had Austin Hooper at the height of his powers, Luke Stocker blocking his way through gameday, and Jaeden Graham as an intriguing mix-in. Now it appears the Falcons may go into Thursday night with just two healthy tight ends, both of them relatively unproven players.

The starter will be Jaeden Graham either way. He’s still growing into his role, but he did have an impressive catch early in the game last week and has the speed and hands to be a factor in the passing game. To help out with blocking and give them two actual tight ends, the Falcons have promoted Carson Meier from the practice squad, ensuring Atlanta will have players in case Stocker isn’t ready to go.

Meier was on the practice squad as insurance for this exact scenario. The Oklahoma product spent some time with Jacksonville and carries a reputation as a solid blocker, though he also had limited but real success as a receiving option. He’ll likely take on 20-30 snaps tomorrow night if Stocker can’t go, with his primary impact coming on special teams.

Let’s hope Stocker is healthy enough to go, but either way, Graham’s going to get a chance to shine against New Orleans. Let’s hope he takes advantage of it.