In addition to (hopefully) the full Falcons roster, Atlanta will have five tryout players at mandatory minicamp the next three days, per the team’s announcement a short while ago.
In total, the team is bringing aboard two linebackers, one defensive tackle, an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. The Falcons brought several tryout players to rookie minicamp, too, and wound up signing veteran defensive linemen Eli Ankou and Olive Sagapolu to compete on the interior of a retooling defensive line.
Here are a few quick details about each of these players, who will hope to parlay three days of quality work at minicamp into roster spots going forward. The Falcons will have one open roster spot as soon as the Julio Jones trade goes through, remember.
- WR Jaleel Scott: The 6’5” receiver was drafted by the Ravens in the 4th round back in 2018 out of New Mexico State, which means assistant director of college scouting Dwaune Jones overlapped with him in Baltimore. Scott has only appeared in four games in his career to this point, reeling in two catches for 22 yards, but an injury in August 2018 wiped out his entire rookie season.
Scott’s ties to Jones might give him a leg up on a roster spot, and his size and solid speed make him a potentially interesting addition to this receiving corps if he can catch on. He’d presumably compete for a reserve role with the likes of Tajae Sharpe and Christian Blake if he does earn a signing.
- LB Sharif Finch: He’s probably the most interesting name on the list. Finch spent two years in Tennessee with Dean Pees back in 2018 and 2019, playing 23 games, starting 3, and piling up 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in that span. He was also active on special teams, playing 44% of the snaps there in 2018 and 24% in 2019, and got in three games last year for the Jets, overlapping with current Falcons linebackers coach Frank Bush. Those connections and his solid work in his limited roles in Tennessee could very well translate into a signing if he impresses this week.
- DT Miles Brown: A college nose tackle at Wofford, Brown joined the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and wound up playing in 9 games for them, managing four tackles. He was cut partway through the 2020 season and finished the year on the Tennessee Titans practice squad, where he overlapped with Arthur Smith. Brown will hope to catch on and compete for a nose tackle role in Atlanta with the likes of Tyeler Davison, Ankou and Sagapolu, assuming he doesn’t boot one of the latter names off if he’s signed.
- LB Jeff Holland: Another undrafted free agent who spent time with the Broncos back in 2018, getting into three games and managing six tackles. Holland has since bounced around between the Cardinals, Bills, Chargers and Rams, and will hope to catch on as a reserve here.
- OL Wyatt Miller: A former Jet, Bengal, Cowboy and Seahawk, Miller was a longtime starter at UCF at both right and left tackle who entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. The team’s tackle depth is unclear at the moment, so Miller would presumably be competing for a reserve role or a practice squad spot at the position if he is signed.
We’ll see if any of these guys latch on, but Scott and Finch in particular would seem to have a solid shot of doing so.