Falcons sign OG, excellent name haver Willie Beavers to practice squad

The Falcons released three players from the practice squad yesterday, namely quarterback Kyle Lauletta, defensive tackle David Moa, and cornerback Tyler Hall. ESPN’s Vaughn McClure reported the first move as one that would clear the way for another offensive lineman to join the practice squad, and now one has.

Per the AJC’s Jason Butt, veteran lineman Willie Beavers will join the practice squad soon, though it’s not yet official.

UPDATE: They got him.

Beavers is a classic practice squad journeyman. A former 4th round pick by the Vikings, he has never appeared in a regular season game but has spent time with Minnesota, New England, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and in the XFL. He primarily has been listed as a guard but has gotten looks at tackle in his NFL, and he’ll likely be the John Wetzel of the moment for Atlanta as an emergency depth option at both positions who primarily roams the practice squad. We’ll see if we see him on the active roster in 2020 or not once he signs.

The Falcons may be missing Kaleb McGary for a week or so, leaving Matt Gono at right tackle with Justin McCray, Matt Hennessy, and John Wetzel serving as depth on the roster at the moment. Sean Harlow and developmental lineman Willie Wright are also on the practice squad.

The team made two other additions yesterday, as well, in the form of cornerback D.J. White and defensive tackle Chris Slayton. White was briefly on the Falcons before and has been on four teams in total since the Chiefs drafted him back in 2016, though he’s played fairly sparingly. He’s clear veteran depth at cornerback. Slayton is a light-on-his-feet 310 pounder who was picked by the Giants back in 2019, and will try to latch on as a back-of-the-rotation DT over the long haul.