Falcons reportedly waive DL Derrick Tangelo

Atlanta put together a pretty promising group of undrafted free agents, with several players shining throughout the summer. Derrick Tangelo was certainly one of them, but it wasn’t enough to put him on the initial 53 man roster for the Falcons.

Per ESPN’s Mike Rothstein, Tangelo has been waived. Fellow undrafted free agent Timothy Horne is competing with veterans like Abdullah Anderson and Nick Thurman for a couple of spots along the defensive line at the moment, but as Rothstein notes, Tangelo may well make the practice squad.

One of my favorites UDFAs this spring, Tangelo flashed during training camp and had his big breakout game against the Jaguars, managing a sack and several impressive plays on just 20 snaps. It’s not hard to believe that Atlanta will have liked what they saw from him enough to keep him on the practice squad, especially if Horne actually makes the roster, as he might after a strong summer of his own.

We’ll see if Tangelo returns, but he’s put himself in a great position to land somewhere with that big effort against Jacksonville. The Falcons, meanwhile, will still trim at least another option or two along the defensive line.