Falcons will reportedly release QB Kyle Lauletta, two others from practice squad

The Falcons carried two quarterbacks on the practice squad coming out of their roster cutdown, which wasn’t stunning because Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub are getting older and we’re living through an uncertain season thanks to COVID-19. It was never a given both of those players would stay around all season, however, because of the ways injuries could shift roster needs.

With Kaleb McGary out for the next week or more, the team has evidently decided they need to add more offensive line depth. Per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, they’ll do so by releasing Kyle Lauletta from the practice squad, with an unknown practice squad signing likely to follow.

Lauletta may still be back, because the Falcons were intrigued enough to sign him right before cuts and keep him around the past couple of weeks. It’s clear that Kurt Benkert is the priority quarterback on the practice squad, however, because the team has now protected him twice (and might well protect him a third time this week) and kept him around when they had an opportunity to choose between him and Lauletta. This makes sense because Benkert has a stronger arm and a lot more experience with this team, but Lauletta could be worth looking at as a long-term backup even so. We’ll see if he’s back down the line.

The offensive lineman signing, meanwhile, is an unknown. Justin McCray can technically (but not superbly) play tackle and John Wetzel is on the squad in case the Falcons need to relieve Jake Matthews or Matt Gono, but it makes sense to add a player to the practice squad that could come up and be available Sunday in case the team really has to dig into its depth. Timon Parris spent a little while with the team after cuts and could be a logical choice for that exact role this coming Sunday.

UPDATE: There are more moves to come, evidently, because the Falcons also released CB Tyler Hall and DT David Moa from their practice squad.

Hall was a UDFA I liked from this class, given his athleticism, while Moa was a recent addition and likely depth in case the Falcons lost any other defensive tackles with Marlon Davidson recuperating. We’ll find out soon enough who is replacing them.

We’ll see what lies ahead, but we’ll wish Lauletta, Hall, and Moa well wherever they go.