Falcons Boost Defensive Line, Activate RB from Injured Reserve

Caleb Huntley

Getty Feleipe Franks #15 of the Atlanta Falcons hands the ball off to Caleb Huntley #42 vs. Miami in preseason.

Week by week, the Atlanta Falcons continue to adjust their roster in hopes of making it stronger.

This week, they signed defensive tackle Anthony Rush to the 53-man roster and activated running back Caleb Huntley from the injured reserve. In corresponding moves, they released kicker Elliot Fry, tight end Ryan Becker and defensive end Deadrin Senat.

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Rush Made an Impact vs. the Saints

Rush played an important part in the Falcons 27-25 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, November 7th. The 6-foot-4, 361 pound DT played 25 of 76 defensive snaps (33%) against the Saints and had three tackles debut for Atlanta. His performance also earned him a PFF grade of 59.5.

Since joining the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Rush has logged 17 NFL games, making 17 tackles, four tackles for losses and two pass breakups. He’s bounced around from the Titans, Eagles, Packers and Seahawks.

“He’s a guy that has come in, he’s trying to learn the system,” Falcons d-line coach Gary Emanuel said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Learn everything, but he’s another guy that has a high football IQ. He works extremely hard. He has a good skill set. So, we anticipate him probably helping before the season’s out.”

With Jonathan Bullard out due to a concussion, Rush will add some necessary boost to Atlanta’s defensive line.


Senat Failed to Live Up to Expectations

The Falcons drafted Senat in the third round during the 2018 NFL Draft.

The South Florida product appeared in 15 games with the Falcons where he made two starts as a rookie. He finished the year recording 30 tackles.

From there, he played in just two more games but had had no tackles during the 2019 season. Last year, Senat saw action in just five games and recorded four tackles. In three seasons with the Falcons, Senat has 34 tackles, four QB hits and one fumble recovery.

Senat has been quite a mystery after failing to live up to NFL expectations. He’s was only active for a total of seven games between 2019 and 2020 and for non-injury reasons. He landed on the injured reserve ahead of the season for an undisclosed injury, and since the Falcons didn’t come to an injury settlement he was released.

Stay tuned to see what other moves the Falcons make this week.

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