Falcons Make Several Roster Moves

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Sunday that they have released punter Ryan Allen and waived four undrafted free agents just a few days into training camp.

Rookies center Austin Capps, right tackle Scottie Dill, tight end Caleb Repp and linebacker Jordan Williams have each been waived.

It’s sad that these undrafted free agents didn’t get much of a chance to display their talents and hopefully they get a chance even next season when things are back to normal.

This will bring the roster down to 79 players after you count out the ones on the reserver/COVID-19 list.

Linebacker Foye Oluokon was also added to the reserve/COVID list on Sunday which happens to fall on his birthday. Definitely not the best birthday present.

Sterling Horfticter Will Take Over at Punter

Ryan Allen came to Atlanta in the middle of the 2019 season to fill-in for injured punter Matt Bosher. Bosher is also no longer with the Falcons.

Allen hit 14 of his 28 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and averaged 41.9 yards per punt last season.

The Falcons made a surprising move in the NFL draft and drafted punter Sterling Hofricter in the seventh round. Hofricter will take over Allen’s spot.

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Falcons Surprise Fans With Drafting A Punter

It’s very unusual to draft a kicker or punter in the prominent rounds but the Falcons knew what they needed.

It’s was a big surprise that the Falcons didn’t grab another running back or edge. Those were two position needs that have were talked about since December. A punter was never really in the plans, well openly at least.

At least the Falcons stuck to their plans for adding versatility players to the roster. Hofrichter can kick too and he has a booming leg.

Hofrichter’s best ability is in his hangtime and the ability to pin opponents back. He averaged 43.3 yards per punt, kicked an extra point, and three of four field goals which including that impressive 52-yarder. He also handled Cuse’s kickoffs and even managed to have six tackles and forced a fumble.

Hofrichter was by far one of the best punters in the country while at Cuse, putting over 30 punts inside the 20 and 11 inside the 10.

The Falcons could have easily found his talent in free agency instead but for what it’s worth, Hofrichter is a sweet addition even if the Falcons wasted more money.

Falcons Saving An Open Spot for Cornerback

The Falcons are in the works of signing former Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard.

The signing has been delayed but should be made official on Monday.

The former first-rounder has started 24 games in his career, all of them with the Bengals. He has recorded 3 interceptions, 22 pass deflections, and 3 sacks over the course of his career. In a total of 77 games, Dennard has had 274 combine tackles.

Pro Football Focus gave Dennard a solid grade of 72.2 last year after playing in just 9 games and 5 starts where he totaled 37 tackles and five passes defended.

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