Falcons practice squad and waiver wire tracker

Atlanta has an initial 53 man roster, but you’re kidding yourself if you think the work is over. This team is set to assemble a 16 player practice squad sometime in the next couple of days, and they’ll almost certainly swap out players in the final three or four spots on the roster via waiver claim or signings over the course of the next week.

With that in mind, and knowing the Falcons are sitting 8th on the waiver priority order, I thought it would be a good idea to keep track of these changes as they roll in.

We love a good tracker here, and we’ll keep the roster tracker up-to-date all year long. For now, stay tuned as we wait to hear whether the Falcons are adding waiver claims and who they’ll add to the practice squad, and we’ll go from there.

Practice squad pickups

• D. Orlando Ledbetter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spotted Tyler Vrabel, Carlos Davis, and Micah Abernathy. Vrabel had a shaky summer but is an athletic tackle the Falcons clearly want to develop further, Davis is a solid defensive lineman the team also wants a look at after he graded out well against the run in preseason, and Abernathy was a key special teams cog and solid enough safety throughout the summer.
• Patrick, who is doing a nice job of spotting players at practice, reports that Timothy Horne and Tucker Fisk are also there. Horne was pressed into starting duty last year and is a solid nose tackle who will be on call in case the Falcons need defensive line depth. Fisk is an interesting blocker who has been hanging around on the practice squad for a while, and like Hesse, will be available if the team needs tight end help.
• Ditto Parker Hesse, per Patrick, which is good news for fans of blocking. Hesse was a vital cog in the Falcons offense the past two years, and will be available if anyone falters or is injured at tight end (and probably fullback, too).
• Godwin Igwebuike is practicing with the Falcons, per 92.9 The Game reporter Joe Patrick, so it’s a safe bet he’s probably on the practice squad. One of the more impressive players on the Falcons offense this summer, Igwebuike can field kickoffs and looked pretty explosive as a runner in his chances. He’ll be the first man up at running back should the Falcons need help.
• The Falcons are adding wide receiver Mathew Sexton, per FOX reporter Greg Auman. Sexton joined up late but impressed the team with some return chops and blazing speed, and he and Malone give the Falcons a pair of fast receivers with special teams roles to develop and have on hand in case injury strikes the active roster.
• Wide receiver Xavier Malone is on the squad, per Fanbuzz reporter Matt Lombardo and ESPN’s Falcons beat reporter Mike Rothstein. Malone was one of the more impressive young receivers of Falcons camp and made a few nice catches in preseason, with the speed and return ability to be an interesting long-term reserve for the Falcons.
• Cornerback Natrone Brooks is back, per FOX reporter Greg Auman. The 2023 undrafted free agent had a handful of lowlights over the summer, but generally played quite well and flashed in practice. He’ll get a chance to develop and latch on to the active roster next year if all goes well, and the staff appears to like Brooks a great deal.
• Justin Shaffer is the first name I’ve seen today, courtesy of Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. The second-year guard was a late round draft choice for the Falcons last year and will continue to develop, with the hope that there will be a real shot at a roster spot at guard in 2024.

Waiver wire and signing news

• Atlanta is signing veteran tackle Isaiah Prince, who was Cincinnati’s starting right tackle owing to injury throughout their 2021 playoff and Super Bowl run. Primarily a right tackle in college and the pros, Prince is a big fella and a good athlete who will get a real crack at the swing tackle gig in Atlanta.
• The Falcons elected not to make any waiver claims, but signings can commence any time.

• As expected, Josh Miles’ tenure as the Falcons’ swing tackle is not lasting long. The Falcons apparently intend to waive him today, and they likely hope to sneak him on to the practice squad after he clears waivers. That news comes to us via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall, who (justifiably) speculates the team will add a new swing tackle option.