Getty Kyle Lauletta #17 of the New York Giants in 2019.
Prior to today, the Atlanta Falcons’ roster sat at 79 players. The Falcons hosted a handful of players for workouts including punters, receivers, and quarterbacks.
They finally came to a decision this morning. Atlanta signed on former New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Kyle Lauletta.
We have signed QB Kyle Lauletta.
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Falcons Cut Danny Etling
Just a few weeks ago, Atlanta waived third-string QB, Danny Etling.
Etling was originally selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 219 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Patriots started Etling out at quarterback but soon transitioned him to a wide receiver. The Patriots ended up waiving Etling Sept. 1, 2018 and signed him to the practice squad the next day.
The Falcons picked up Etling last August after Kurt Benkert‘s season-ending injury.
In two preseason games for Atlanta, Etling completed 17 of his 31 passes (54.8 percent) for 193 yards and one touchdown.
Quinn had a plan all along to have four QB’s on the roster and with one roster spot to fill, it was the right place and right time for Lauletta to join the team.
“Going in, obviously we had (quarterback) Danny (Etling) here for some,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We were planning to come in with four (quarterbacks) to get reps and see where we go. It was just the right window for us to go and then having the ability for the next bit for Kyle. We had the roster spot available so let’s come in, and let’s take a closer look.”
Etling was quickly picked up by the Seattle Seahawks.
Lauletta’s Background
Lauletta, a University of Richmond grad, was a fourth-round pick by the New York Giants in 2018. As a high-end backup, he made quite an impression during the pre-draft process when he was awarded the Senior Bowl MVP trophy for his performance during the week.
As a three-year starter, Lauletta completed 758 passes for 10,465 yards, 73 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions during his college career.
The 25-year-old spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles on the practice squad. Unfortunately, he has very limited regular-season action, as he has five career passes, with zero completions and one interception.
Before coming to work out in Atlanta, Lauletta tried out for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Benkert Is Back
Lauletta was a hot topic in 2018. He was reportedly on the Falcons radar but the Falcons opted to go with UDFA out of the University of Virginia, Kurt Benkert.
There’s no shot Lauletta will move ahead of Benkert or Matt Schaub in two weeks. He will, however, make a good practice squad QB.
After a long recovery, Benkert is back for the 2020 season and is ecstatic to step back on the field again. Benkert injured his toe early on last year during the Falcons first preseason game
Unfortunately, it was such a bad injury he ended up having to get surgery that basically reconstructed his big toe. He was out for the entire season
Benkert Throwing Dimes
Benkert spent time spent in the preseason game prior to his injury and Atlanta’s 12-10 loss made an impression. He ended up outplaying Drew Lock leading the offense to all 10 of its points and threw for 185 yards with one touchdown pass to Brian Hill.
Realizing he would be out for the remainder of the season, Benkert and Quinn came to an agreement that he still wanted to play once he was healthy and Quinn wanted him to stick around—noting he had a promising future ahead.
Benkert’s debut back in action already has a strong fanbase after he was caught on tape throwing “dimes” to Calvin Ridley.
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Falcons Sign Ex-Giants, Eagles QB