Falcons add TE Hayden Hurst and RB Qadree Ollison, cut RB Wayne Gallman

The Falcons are playing the Panthers tomorrow, and as expected, they had a few moves left up their sleeves before kickoff.

The team made the not-very-surprising move of activating Hayden Hurst to the roster, and the less expected move of cutting running back Wayne Gallman and adding fellow running back Qadree Ollison to the active roster.

Hurst will slide right in as the team’s de facto second tight end, and the Falcons will hope he adds some pass catching production and quality blocking to the mix for Atlanta. This team has struggled to throw the ball since Hurst went on injured reserve, and while I hardly think you can say that’s the major reason why, Hurst can help stretch the field and make tough sideline catches when he’s healthy. Any production he can add will be extremely welcome for the Falcons.

The Gallman cut is somewhat surprising in that Gallman certainly seemed like a capable runner every time he got an opportunity, but those opportunities were few and far between of late. The elevation of Ollison in his place is not at all surprising given that the Falcons had been looking at giving him a role and flexing him to the gameday roster the past couple of weeks, and it bodes well for Ollison’s chances of being re-signed and carving out a 2022 role in this backfield. Ollison will be ticketed for a small but hopefully productive role tomorrow, and we’ll wish Gallman well wherever he lands, given that he can clearly help a team.

Give Hurst and Ollison warm welcomes as they return to the roster, and we’ll hope they make big impacts tomorrow against the Panthers.