Getty Atlanta Falcons players huddle during warmups.
The Atlanta Falcons moved on from defensive lineman Christopher Hinton on Monday, October 10.
Just three days after signing the Michigan standout, Atlanta decided to replace Hinton on their practice squad with defensive lineman Kobe Smith.
OFFICIAL: Falcons have signed Kobe Smith to PS.
Chris Hinton has been released.
Smith Has Yet to Appear in a Regular-Season NFL Game
Smith originally joined the league out of South Carolina following the 2020 NFL Draft when the Tennessee Titans picked him up as an undrafted free agent.
Since then, the Lawrenceville (GA) native has also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. However, Smith has not appeared in a regular-season game.
Before entering the draft, the 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive lineman logged 84 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and seven quarterback hits in 48 games (17 starts) for the SC Gamecocks from 2016 to 2019.
Hinton is the Son of a Former Falcons Pro Bowler
The name “Chris Hinton” may have sounded familiar to many longtime Falcons fans as he is the son of former Falcons offensive tackle, Chris Hinton.
Senior Chris Hinton was a seven-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman. He played four seasons (1990-93) with the Falcons, where he earned Pro Bowl honors in 1991 and first-team All-Pro honors in 1993.
As for young Hinton, it’s his first year in the league after going undrafted out of Michigan. He had short stints with the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins before his stop in Atlanta. Hinton also has yet to see action in a regular-season game.
Prior to the NFL, Hinton played in 13 games last season at Michigan where he made 32 tackles for the Wolverines.
Falcons 16-Man Practice Squad
Per the official league rules, NFL organizations may establish a practice squad of 16 players. All players with zero accrued seasons or fewer than nine regular-season games in a single season are eligible for the practice squad. Additionally, teams can have up to 10 players with two or fewer accrued seasons and a max of six established veterans with unlimited accrued seasons on their practice squad.
A practice squad player is only able to be elevated three times per season and any more than that would mean the team would have to sign them to the 53-man roster or release them.
Below is the Falcons’ updated practice squad heading into Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers:
1. DL Kobe Smith
2. S Jovante Moffat
3. CB Dylan Mabin
4. WR Josh Ali
5. WR Cameron Batson
6. DB Cornell Armstrong
7. RB B.J. Baylor
8. OLB Jordan Brailford
9. WR Frank Darby
10. TE Tucker Fisk
11. CB Matt Hankins
12. CB Ka’dar Hollman
13. DT Jaleel Johnson
14. OL Justin Shaffer
15. OL Ryan Neuzil
16. TE MyCole Pruitt
We learned last week when the Falcons released starting DT Anthony Rush that neither the practice squad nor the active roster is safe.
Rush started all four games for the Falcons before being released ahead of Week 5’s matchup against the Buccaneers.
When asked about his decision to cut Rush, Smith kept it short and not sweet.
“There are some things I’ll keep private, but there’s nothing major,” Smith said on Friday, via AtlantaFalcons.com. “This is a performance business.”