Falcons add WR Marvin Hall to practice squad, shuffle roster

The Falcons don’t appear to be making any trades, but they’re giving us a little news on this deadline Tuesday regardless.

The team announced this afternoon that they’ve signed linebacker James Vaughters and special teamer Daren Bates to the roster, releasing rookie undrafted linebacker Dorian Etheridge. They’ve also added wide receiver Marvin hall to the practice squad, adding a speedy player who spent 2017 and 2018 with the Falcons.

We’ll start with the Hall news, which I suspect will be a highlight for many. The 28-year-old put up 18 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns in 2020, splitting time between the Browns and Lions, and has the kind of wheels this team probably needs with Calvin Ridley out and the passing game sputtering so badly against the Panthers. Hall, who snagged 12 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns in his last stint in Atlanta, will almost certainly be flexed to the roster and get some playing time against the Saints, and hopefully will be able to chip in.

Bates and Vaughters could no longer be flexed to the active roster on gameday, so the team just signed them to the roster. Vaughters has been out-snapping Brandon Copeland and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner the past two weeks and appears to be a player Dean Pees likes, and he will likely have a part-time role again on Sunday. Bates was added to help a special teams unit that had struggled to contain opposing returners and has been characteristically solid in that role the past two weeks.

Etheridge, who was one of the better stories of the summer, will likely be headed to the practice squad. He had a role on special teams to this point and will continue to develop in the hopes of latching on as a full-time backup in 2022 for this Falcons team after showing quality tackling and run defense chops in preseason and training camp.

Give Marvin Hall a warm welcome as he returns to the Falcons, if you would.