Getty Atlanta Falcons LB Deion Jones
The Atlanta Falcons made a handful of roster moves on Thursday, September 1.
To start, they sent linebacker Deion Jones, cornerback Isaiah Oliver, defensive end Marlon Davidson, left guard Jalen Mayfield and tight end John FitzPatrick to the injured reserve.
#Falcons placed 5 players on injured reserve.
LB Deion Jones, DB Isaiah Oliver, DE Marlon Davidson, OL Jalen Mayfield and TE John FitzPatrick.
And then in corresponding moves, Atlanta announced that they had re-signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson, linebacker Nick Kwiatkowski and offensive lineman Colby Gossett. The team also claimed offensive tackle Chuma Edoga and defensive tackle Matt Dickerson from the waivers.
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Jones Heading to IR Comes By Surprise
Mayfield and Davidson heading to the IR are not much of a surprise as each has been dealing with injuries throughout training camp.
Mayfield is still nursing a lower back injury that could be the same one lingering from last season and Davidson is dealing with a knee injury.
As for the rookie TE John FitzPatrick, his injury has not been disclosed but he played more than half of the 2021 season with broken bones in his feet. The Georgia product then underwent two surgeries this offseason to repair stress fractures in both his feet.
Oliver underwent season-ending knee surgery last October and was limited up until training camp. He didn’t play in Atlanta’s first two preseason games but did see action in the finale. Oliver’s injury hasn’t been disclosed either but it looks like his knee could be bothering him again.
Jones is a surprise name to headling to the IR as he returned from the PUP list last week following shoulder surgery and played in the Falcons’ last preseason game.
All five players are set to miss at least the first four games of the season.
Falcons Sign Atlanta Native Chuma Edoga
Following the final day of cuts, the Falcons claimed former New York Jets offensive lineman Chuma Edoga.
Edoga initially entered the league as a 2019 third-round pick of the Jets out of Southern California. The 6-3, 308-pound lineman started 12 of the 24 games he played for the Jets and should add some nice depth behind Jake Matthews, Elijah Wilkinson, Matt Hennessy, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary, Germain Ifedi, Drew Dalman, and Jalen Mayfield.
Edoga, who is a Powder Springs native, gets to come back home which could be exciting news for his friends and family if he finds himself in a consistent role.
The Falcons also claimed DT Matt Dickerson off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs. The veteran is a familiar face to Dean Pees and Arthur Smith after playing for them with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and 2019.
While the Chiefs weren’t happy enough with Dickerson’s preseason performance, Smith and company.
“Hard-charging guy,” Smith said via Sports Illustrated. “A guy who has improved. Like what we’ve seen on tape and we’ll take a look at Matt and see what he looks like when he gets here.”
While Dickerson is a depth guy, he could earn himself a bigger role with Davidson landing on the injured reserve list.
With all of the moves made on Thursday, the Falcons roster remains at 53.
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