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The Atlanta Falcons announced a handful of roster moves on Monday, November 21.
After placing both starting tight end Kyle Pitts and defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham on injured reserve, the team claimed defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson off of the waivers and signed tight end John Raine to the practice squad.
The Falcons also sent offensive lineman Justin Shaffer to the practice squad’s injured reserve.
Both Pitts and Graham suffered knee injuries in Sunday’s 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears.
Pitts had already been playing through a lingering hamstring injury, according to head coach Arthur Smith.
The Falcons’ 2021 fourth-overall pick, has 28 receptions for 356 yards with a pair of touchdowns in 2022 so far. While those numbers are far off from his 1,000-yard rookie season, Smith believes Pitts has played a pivotal role in Atlanta’s offense.
“He has such a huge impact on this team,” Smith said, via ESPN. “I know the numbers aren’t as gaudy as they were as a rookie and he’s been playing through a lot, and he’s a tough guy and he has had a huge impact.”
Meanwhile, Graham has logged 34 tackles, eight quarterback hits and a fumble recovery through 11 games with nine starts for the Falcons.
Atlanta will turn to Jalen Dalton, Timmy Horne, Abdullah Anderson and/or Matt Dickerson to fill the void left by Graham.
Per league rules, Pitts, Graham, and Shaffer will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
Raine Re-Joins the Falcons
Raine is a familiar face to Atlanta as he has previously waived from the injured reserve with an injury settlement back in September.
He has been unsigned ever since.
The team never disclosed exactly what type of injury Raine was dealing with, however, he appears to be back to feeling himself again.
With Pitts on IR, we could see Raine get a game-day elevation and potentially compete against Parker Hesse and MyCole Pruitt for a more permanent role.
Although that won’t come easy for the 24-year-old who has very little NFL experience as he has yet to play in a regular-season game.
The Falcons will also evaluate Feleipe Franks and Anthony Firkser, who were both ruled out on Sunday with injuries.
Falcons Bring Back Johnson
Johnson is also another familiar face that the Falcons are bringing back for extra depth.
The Iowa product was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Through five seasons so far, the 6-foot-3, 316-pound defensive lineman has logged 110 total tackles (54 solo), 5.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 65 games (20 starts) for the Vikings and Houston Texans.
Most recently, Johnson appeared in 12 games for Houston last fall where he recorded 23 total tackles (11 solo), two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
The Falcons’ decision to bring on Johnson in the first place came after losing nose tackle Khyiris Tonga to the Vikings from the practice squad back in early October.
For their Week 12 matchup, Atlanta is set to face the Washington Commanders on the road.
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