Falcons cut S Jamal Carter from practice squad

With the team’s situation at safety looking dire coming into the Packers game, the team unsurprisingly decided to promote Jamal Carter from the practice squad for the game. Carter was swiftly pressed into action when the team lost two more safeties to injury, and while I thought he fared reasonably well given the circumstances, the team evidently did not agree.

Carter has been cut from the practice squad, per the Falcons, and we’re likely to hear soon enough that it was to make room for incoming veteran safety J.J. Wilcox.

Carter may well be back as a developmental option at some point down the line, as the Falcons have brought him back more than once now. In 2019 he played 10% of the defensive snaps, showing impressive physicality and not-so-impressive coverage acumen, and wound up playing 41% of the special teams snaps. This year, he only got into the one game against the Packers as a practice squad promotion, and per Pro Football Reference he was targeted directly 3 times and allowed 3 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons likely saw that, knew Wilcox was on his way and Jaylinn Hawkins was recovering, and decided they’d be fine without Carter for the short term. Until Wilcox shows up, the Falcons are still perilously thin with just Hawkins, Sharrod Neasman, and practice squad player T.J. Green currently confirmed to be healthy and available, though we’ll hope Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen return soon.

We wish Jamal Carter well, but I doubt this is the last we’ve seen of him.