Getty Marcus Mariota #1 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons have elevated wide receiver Frank Darby from the practice squad to Week 3’s active roster vs. the Seattle Seahawks.
Darby is the only player that Atlanta called up for extra depth this week, as of Saturday, September 24.
OFFICIAL: Falcons practice squad elevations before their Week 3 matchup ⬇️
Per league rules, a practice squad player may only be elevated for a maximum of three regular-season games. After that, the team must sign him to the 53-man roster.
Darby Had a “Way Better” Camp Than Last Year
The wide receiver position was easily the hardest battle to be in at training camp this offseason and the Falcons’ 2021 sixth-round pick was overshadowed by the older guys.
While he may have gone overlooked next to the vets, Darby felt like his overall performance at camp was a lot better than his rookie year.
“I felt like this, this camp was one of my best camps, way better than last year,” Darby said following the Falcons’ first regular season practice on Monday, August 29. “I felt like this camp made me push myself, especially the room that was created since me and Oz [Olamide Zacchaeus] were the only ones that came back from last year.”
The Falcons brought in a handful of veterans this summer including, KhaDarel Hodge, Geronimo Allison, Damiere Byrd, Auden Tate, and Bryan Edwards. These guys came to town with a lot more experience under their belts which ultimately helped Darby.
“Bringing in guys like Hodge, Edwards, Tate, Geronimo, Byrd… that pushed me to another limit because a lot of them guys, vets, and they knew a lot. So, I had to push myself to learn the playbook, better learn my assignment, learn my details and wherever they put me at, you know, I had to do that at a high level. And I feel like I did really well at that.”
As a rookie Darby didn’t see much action, playing in just three games and recording one catch for 14 yards.
He didn’t make it past Atlanta’s final roster cuts ahead of Week 1 but he was immediately signed to the team’s practice squad the following day.
Falcons Release Week 3 Depth Chart
After losing back-to-back games in Weeks 1 and 2, the Falcons will look to chalk up their first victory of the season against Seattle in their Week 3 matchup.
Below is their official depth chart against the Seahawks:
Offense
WR Drake London, Bryan Edwards, Jared Bernhardt
TE Kyle Pitts, Parker Hesse, Anthony Firkser, Feleipe Franks
LT Jake Matthews, Chuma Edoga
LG Elijah Wilkinson
C Drew Dalman, Matt Hennessy
RG Chris Lindstrom, Colby Gossett
RT Kaleb McGary, Germain Ifedi
WR Olamide Zaccheaus, KhaDarel Hodge, Damiere Byrd
RB Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier, Avery Williams
FB Keith Smith
QB Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder
Defense
DL Grady Jarrett, Timothy Horne
DL Anthony Rush, Abdullah Anderson
DL Ta’Quon Graham, Matt Dickerson
OLB Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Arnold Ebiketie, Quinton Bell
LB Mykal Walker, Troy Andersen, Nathan Landman
LB Rashaan Evans, Nick Kwiatkoski
OLB Lorenzo Carter, DeAngelo Malone
CB A.J. Terrell, Mike Ford
S Richie Grant, Erik Harris
S Jaylinn Hawkins, Dean Marlowe
CB Casey Hayward Jr., Darren Hall, Dee Alford
Special Teams
K Younghoe Koo
P Bradley Pinion
LS Liam McCullough
H Bradley Pinion
PR Avery Williams
KOR Cordarrelle Patterson -OR- Avery Williams
READ NEXT: