Getty Erik Harris #23 and Deion Jones #45 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate in the first quarter.
The Atlanta Falcons added some depth by signing inside linebacker Rashad Smith and cornerback Will Sunderland to the practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday, December 14.
We have signed LB Rashad Smith and DB Will Sunderland to the practice squad.
The move comes after the Falcons placed three players, linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee, Quinton Bell and cornerback Cornell Armstrong, on the COVID-19/reserve list on Monday.
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Smith & Sunderland Went Undrafted in 2020
Sunderland, 6-foot-2, 196-pound corner, initially went undrafted out of Troy in 2020. As a UDFA, he signed with the Green Bay Packers but was waived as a part of roster cuts ahead of the season. After that, Sunderland had short stints on the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks practice squad.
While Sunderland has yet to play in a regular-season game, he comes from a very intriguing collegiate career. Before transferring from Oklahoma to Troy, Sunderland played safety. But once he made the switch at Troy in 2019, he earned himself first-team All-Sun Belt honors, recording four interceptions, for passes defended and 38 total tackles.
As for Smith, he has also bounced around practice squads since joining the league out of Florida Atlantic as a UDFA in 2020. He started with the Chicago Bears, then the Dallas Cowboys, Philadephia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers. However, he didn’t get any real action until signing with the Eagles in the midst of the 2020 season where he was activated for two games and recorded 3 tackles.
If anything, Smith and Sunderland should be a big help on special teams when the Falcons take on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday.
Falcons Week 15 Depth Chart vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Falcons also released their Week 15 depth chart against the Niners, which doesn’t look far off from last week.
The team still has starting safety Erik Harris listed as a starter, even though there are several reports of him needing season-ending surgery following a torn pectoral muscle from Sunday’s win over the Panthers. We should see Harris land on the IR in the coming days and backup Jaylinn Hawks stepping up for the remainder of the season.
Offense
QB: Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen, Feleipe Franks
RB: Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Qadree Ollison
WR: Tajae Sharpe, Christian Blake
WR: Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Frank Darby
TE: Kyle Pitts, Lee Smith
TE/FB: Hayden Hurst, Keith Smith
LT: Jake Matthews, Jason Spriggs
LG: Jalen Mayfield, Josh Andrews
C: Matt Hennessy, Drew Dalman
RG: Chris Lindstrom, Drew Dalman
RT: Kaleb McGary, Colby Gossett
Defense
DL: Grady Jarrett, Marlon Davidson
DL: Tyeler Davison, Ta’Quon Graham, Anthony Rush
DL: Jonathan Bullard, Mike Pennel, John Cominsky
OLB: Dante Fowler, Brandon Copeland
LB: Deion Jones, Mykal Walker
LB: Foyesade Oluokun
OLB: Steven Means, Adetokunbo Ogundeji, James Vaughters
CB: A.J. Terrell, Darren Hall
CB: Fabian Moreau, Avery Williams, Kendall Sheffield
S: Erik Harris, Jaylinn Hawkins
S: Duron Harmon, Richie Grant
Special Teams
K: Younghoe Koo
P: Thomas Morstead
LS: Josh Harris
H: Thomas Morstead
PR: Avery Williams, Olamide Zaccheaus
KOR: Cordarrelle Patterson
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