The Atlanta Falcons had until 4 p.m. to make a trade but decided to pass on offering up or buying players.
Instead of putting all of their eggs in one basket for a trade deal, they made several other roster moves ahead of Week 9’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
Atlanta signed linebackers Daren Bates and James Vaughters to the 53-man roster. And in a corresponding move, they released linebacker Dorian Etheridge has been released. But the most notable addition was the return of wide receiver Marvin Hall to the practice squad.
We have made several roster moves. t.co/G8TkxJzkDC
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Marvin Hall Returns to Atlanta
The Falcons re-signed speedster Marvin Hall to the practice squad, who had previously spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the team.
Hall, 28, has been a journeyman after signing with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He didn’t see any playing time until 2017 when he first signed the Falcons and scored his first NFL career touchdown, a 40-yard reception from Matt Ryan, on just his second day with the team.
More recently, Hall recorded 291 receiving yards through 11 games with the Detroit Lions in 2020 last season, which marked the most productive season of his six-year career.
He joins the Falcons in a time of need at the wide receiver position after key starter Calvin Ridley announced on Sunday, Oct. 31 that he was stepping away from football to focus on his mental health.
Vaughters Is a Georgia Native
The Falcons signed Vaughters two months ago to fill their final spot on the practice squad, but after already being elevated twice for gameday, Atlanta had to sign them to the active roster if they wanted to keep them.
Vaughters, 28, originally signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 out of Standford, but he was soon released following an injury settlement.
Prior to landing with the Falcons, Vaughters spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears. While in the Windy City, he bounced back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster. In 2020, he saw action in 14 games where he had 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Vaughters also had short stints with the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and
in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders.
The Georgia native has been seeing more action than Brandon Copeland and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner over the past two weeks, playing 31 defensive snaps and 14 special teams against the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers.
As for 30-year-old Bates, he has been a special teams standout throughout his career after entering the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2013 with the Rams. He’s a familiar face to current Falcons head coach and former Titans offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith. Before coming to Atlanta, he had spent the past four seasons in Tennessee, appearing in 13 games for the Titans in 2020 and playing 66% of the snaps on special teams. Aside from his Titans and Rams stints, he’s also split time with the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and L.A. Rams.
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Falcons Re-Sign Speedy WR, Make 3 Other Moves