The Atlanta Falcons continue to get their roster in order for Week 1, when they’ll travel north to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.
The latest move involves a shuffling of the big fellas on the defense.
The Falcons announced Wednesday that they’ve signed a defensive tackle named Zacch Pickens. They worked him out on Tuesday and decided to keep him around.
To make room for Pickens, the Falcons cut Carlos Allen.
Pickens will begin the season on Atlanta’s practice squad, which is now full with 16 players.
He’s the only defensive tackle currently on the Falcons’ practice squad, where he’s joined by defensive end Zach Harrison.
Who Is Zacch Pickens?
Pickens is a former high-ranking recruit who most recently was with the New York Giants.
He’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, and he’s certainly capable of plugging the middle on defense.
In high school, he was the Gatorade Player of the Year as as senior for the state of South Carolina, and he stayed home to play collegiately for the Gamecocks.
Pickens ran for 21 touchdowns as a bruising fullback in high school but he stuck just on the defensive side of the ball once he reached college.
The big fella played well enough that he was taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Bears with the No. 64 overall pick.
The Bears kept him for two seasons, across which he played 29 games and compiled 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Pickens was cut before last season and was signed to the Chiefs‘ practice squad. He was elevated for three regular season games and made a total of five tackles.
The Chiefs ended up waiving Pickens in May, and the New York Giants claimed him. He spent the whole preseason there before the Giants chose to cut him on August 30.
Now, he gets another chance by coming to Atlanta, which has pretty much a whole new decision-making group and is continuing to work to mold the roster in their desired image.
Pickens may not play a big role this season, but he’s got some NFL experience, a strong pedigree and definitely enough size to make an impact if given the chance.
Falcons Cut Other DT
The Falcons cut another defensive lineman, Carlos Allen, to make room for Pickens.
Allen is a local kid, born in Atlanta. He started his college career at Kennesaw State and played the last two seasons at Houston.
The 6-foot-1 lineman was an undrafted part of the 2026 NFL Draft class who latched on with the Falcons for the summer, but they apparently wanted a look at Pickens instead.
Given that Allen was given this chance by the Falcons, there might be some decision makers elsewhere who also think he’s worth a look. But for now, he’ll head into free agency as Atlanta goes a different direction for its defensive line depth.
Falcons Sign 6-Foot-4 Former 3rd-Round Pick From Free Agency