Falcons announce 15 players signed to their practice squad

With NFL rosters in constant flux in the opening days of the season, the establishment of the practice squad can often be overlooked. Yet, this group is often where teams will turn to first when they suffer the inevitable injuries that are a part of every season.

As soon as teams square away their initial 53-man roster, there’s an initial rush to get their first practice squad set. These are guys with promise who may need more seasoning or guys that can help the team prepare for an upcoming game by service as practice fodder. Either way, the Falcons have announced 15 of their possible 16 players already.

The team has mostly stayed with the players they’ve gotten to know over the course of this preseason. Only one player - Quinton Bell - is coming from another team (Tampa Bay). Here’s the initial list.

• OL Willie Beavers
• OLB Quinton Bell
• ILB Emmanuel Ellerbee
• RB D’Onta Foreman
• WR Juwan Green
• RB Caleb Huntley
• S Dwayne Johnson Jr
• OL Sam Jones
• OL Ryan Neuzil
• OLB George Obinna
• TE John Raine
• DL Chris Slayton
• WR Austin Trammell
• TE David Wells
• CB Chris Williamson

Several of the players on this list were guys that made a strong impression in the preseason with the team such as Caleb Huntley, John Raine and Austin Trammell. These are guys who could grow into contributors in 2022 or may even see the roster this year depending on the health of the team. The Falcons do have several offensive linemen stashed, but only one player on the defensive line. This could be something to monitor since the defensive line depth is also a bit of a concern.

The only question remaining is what that 16th spot is being reserved for. The most immediate move that would make sense would be to put one of the QBs (perhaps Feleipe Franks) into that spot while opening up another spot on the 53-man roster for more offensive line depth.

What do you think of the Falcons initial practice squad?