Falcons sign QB Kyle Lauletta

The Falcons’ roster has been sitting at 79 for the past few days. Despite final cuts coming on Saturday, it seemed logical that the team would find a player to add to bring them back up to the limit of 80—for practice or evaluative purposes, at least. Atlanta worked out a handful of players over the past week, including wide receivers, QBs, punters, and long snappers.

It seems the Falcons finally came to a decision, signing former Giants QB Kyle Lauletta to fill their final open roster spot. Lauletta was a former fourth-round pick back in 2018 who had a lot of promise as a high-end backup coming out of college. He made a name for himself by impressing during the pre-draft process, as he was awarded the Senior Bowl MVP trophy for his performance during the week.

At 6’2, 222, Lauletta lacks ideal size and has limited arm strength—but he excels with accuracy and smart decision-making. That limits his NFL ceiling as a starter but makes him an ideal backup, particularly for an offense that depends on timing and accuracy to keep the chains moving. He was a fan of many during the 2018 NFL Draft, including myself, as a potential heir for Matt Schaub. The Falcons elected to go the UDFA route instead, picking up Kurt Benkert.

I doubt Lauletta is here to supplant either Schaub or Benkert—particularly this late in training camp. It’s more likely that Lauletta will be taking a spot on the practice squad as the emergency backup QB, which would give the Falcons an opportunity to evaluate him for the future as well. What are your thoughts on the signing of Lauletta? Do you expect him to make the final roster, or do you see him as more of a practice squad stash?