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The Falcons could begin making their cuts any moment now, with the NFL mandating rosters be trimmed down to 53 players by 4 p.m. tomorrow. That won’t result in a final roster—I’d be heavily on the team tweaking the bottom of the roster once every team has made cuts and they see which players are out there—but it will result in many players seeking new homes. It’s a tough day that way.
We will want to keep up with it all, of course, so as is our custom we’re kicking off a tracker for cuts. Chances are good we’ll get the news in a couple of batches as the Falcons sort through this, with maybe an agent or player delivering news for themselves. There will be at least 27 by the time the dust settles tomorrow afternoon, either way.
We’ll round up cut news here as it comes in, with separate stories to follow.
Full list of reported cuts
RB Caleb Huntley
RB D’Onta Foreman
WR Chris Rowland
WR Juwan Green
WR Trevor Davis
WR Antonio Nunn
TE Parker Hesse
TE David Wells
TE John Raine
OL Willie Beavers
OL Ryan Neuzil
OL Kion Smith
OL Sam Jones
OL Joe Sculthorpe
DL Zac Dawe
DL Eli Ankou
DL Chris Slayton
OLB Tuzar Skipper
OLB Kobe Jones
ILB Erroll Thompson
LB Emmanuel Ellerbee
CB Delrick Abrams Jr.
CB Chris Williamson
S Dwayne Johnson Jr.
S J.R. Pace
P Dom Maggio
Roster cuts tracker
Tuesday
12:30 p.m.: All cuts are now available after the team announced their 53 man roster.
12:04 p.m.: Ledbetter is reporting from practice that Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen and Feleipe Franks are all in attendance, as well as safety/cornerback T.J. Green. It looks like the Falcons may initially carry all three quarterbacks, though I wouldn’t expect that to last very long.
11:37 a.m.: D-Led is rolling on the cut reports here. The latest name is wide receiver Juwan Green, who had a nice rapport with Josh Rosen on Sunday night and reeled in a touchdown. Not to be a broken record, but he’s a practice squad candidate for Atlanta if another team doesn’t snap him up.
11:23 a.m.: D. Orlando Ledbetter at the AJC has updated his tracker with the cuts of OL Ryan Neuzil and LB Emmanuel Ellerbee. Both are strong practice squad candidates, with Neuzil in particular performing as one of the best offensive linemen this preseason.
11:05 a.m.: D. Orlando Ledbetter at the AJC has safety J.R. Pace on his tracker. One of Pace or Johnson should end up on the practice squad when all is said and done, as both had fine summers in Atlanta.
UPDATED: #Falcons release eight players, 19 to go -WR Trevor Davis, CB JR Pace and RB Caleb Huntley also released. https://t.co/05ZWntsHdN
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) August 31, 2021
10:46 a.m.: Trevor Davis added to the list. The veteran competed for a returner role in Atlanta but got little time to prove himself in preseason games with Avery Williams and Chris Rowland dominating snaps there. We’ll wish him well at his next stop.
The Falcons will be releasing WR Trevor Davis, according to a source.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) August 31, 2021
Good potential returner for another team. Tough to get there in Atlanta with Cordarrelle Patterson and Avery Williams on kicks and punts.
10:16 a.m.: Another surprise. Willie Beavers ran as the team’s swing tackle and/or starter at right tackle throughout the preseason, but now he’s gone.
Falcons released OT Willie Beavers, per source. Former fourth-round pick battled for a prime spot on Atlanta’s line in camp.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 31, 2021
Either Matt Gono’s coming back soon or the Falcons have their eyes on someone, perhaps former Lions swing tackle Tyrell Crosby. Beavers got enough work this offseason to think he’ll likely have little trouble landing a reserve role elsewhere, but if he doesn’t keep an eye on him for the practice squad.
9:47 a.m.: Surprisingly, the Falcons have cut undrafted free agent running back Caleb Huntley, who had a strong summer in Atlanta.
The Falcons are going to be releasing RB Caleb Huntley, per a source.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) August 31, 2021
Good chance for him to return to practice squad after a strong showing in camp.
Huntley feels like a practice squad lock, but I’m still surprised he’s not going to make the roster. The Falcons either like D’Onta Foreman enough to sneak him aboard as the fourth back or they have a recent roster cut in mind, but either way I thought Huntley did enough to stick around. Let’s hope he winds up spending 2021 on the practice squad and gets another crack at the roster next season.
Monday
10:58 p.m.: Although it’s possible he may return to the team’s practice squad, safety Dwayne Johnson Jr. has been cut.
Falcons have cut S Dwayne Johnson Jr., per source.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) August 31, 2021
Good practice squad candidate if he clears waivers.
8:55 p.m.: Add Tuzar Skipper to the list. The former Titan and Steeler figures to land with another team shortly after waivers wrap up.
Falcons releasing pass rusher Tuzar Skipper, per source
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 31, 2021
8:23 p.m.: The Falcons have released LB Kobe Jones and WR Chris Rowland. Jones’ fumble on Sunday night was unfortunate, but the interception and return ought to get him attention from other teams if he doesn’t end up back on the practice squad.
Rowland, meanwhile, still might hang around. He had a fine summer as a returner and receiver, but was edged out for a roster spot by Avery Williams, the rookie punt returner and cornerback who almost certainly has that job sewn up after this cut. If they don’t wind up no the practice squad, we wish them both well.
The #Falcons are releasing OLB/DE Kobe Jones, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 31, 2021
#Falcons release defensive tackle Eli Ankou, WR Chris Rowland. https://t.co/05ZWntsHdN
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) August 31, 2021
6:03 p.m.: The Falcons have cut ties with a pair of defensive linemen, per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
The #Falcons have released DE Eli Ankou, per source.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) August 30, 2021
The #Falcons have also cut DL Zac Dawe, per source.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) August 30, 2021
Ankou and Dawe were competing for roles along the line, with Ankou hoping to catch on as a backup in his second stint on the Falcons this year. Dawe, an undrafted free agent, was hoping to do the same. Both players are potential practice squad additions, with Ankou seeming particularly likely to land back with Atlanta if he clears waivers.
Additional work for this story from Evan Birchfield and Kevin Knight.
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