Falcons reportedly cut S Henry Black

The Falcons have had a surprisingly stable group of safeties after turnover hit the position hard a year ago. Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins have looked like the starters and are set to go into the season as starters, while Erik Harris and Dean Marlowe have been pretty locked in as reserves.

Henry Black, Teez Tabor, and to some extent Mike Ford and Isaiah Oliver have factored in at safety to some extent, with Black fresh off a season where he was a key reserve for the Packers. If the team is going to carry a fifth safety on the roster, it won’t be him, as Ian Rapoport at the NFL Network reports he has been cut.

Black is, of course, a practice squad candidate as a young player with some upside who was solid a year ago, solid again, and is a willing and capable special teamer. The Falcons will likely keep four-to-five safeties on the roster, depending on whether a versatile option like Teez Tabor or Mike Ford stays on, and depth will be important with a pair of promising but unproven starters. The team certainly gave him plenty of run this preseason with a particular eye on special teams, so if they liked what they saw this might not be the end of his time in Atlanta.

As is customary, we wish him well if he lands elsewhere, and now we wait to see the Falcons’ practice squad take shape in the coming days, whether or not Black is on it.