Falcons fill international spot with ex-Saints punter Matthew Hayball
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons have signed former New Orleans Saints punter Matthew Hayball, a native of West Adelaide, Australia, as their selection for the International Player Pathway program.
As a result of the program’s rules, Hayball won’t count against the Falcons’ 90-man roster limit for the season. He was one of six tryout players at the team’s mandatory minicamp this week in Flowery Branch.
Hayball, an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, won the starting job and made the Saints’ roster in 2024. He played in all 17 games, averaging 44 yards per punt on 75 attempts while pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line 41 times.
The Saints waived Hayball in August of 2025, and he remained unsigned through the season.
Before entering the NFL, Hayball played five years at Vanderbilt. He played in 59 games and averaged 45.2 yards across 289 career attempts. After averaging 47.6 yards per punt in 2023, Hayball earned All-America honors, and he was a first-team All-SEC selection.
Hayball, 29, is the second punter on the Falcons’ roster, joining veteran Jake Bailey in a room led by special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman.
The International Player Pathway program, which originated in 2017, is designed to allow international players an opportunity to develop and ultimately become active members of an NFL roster.
There’s value in using the IPP spot on a specialist, as the Falcons did with kicker Lenny Krieg last season.
Even if Hayball doesn’t make the 53-man roster out of training camp, should the Falcons place him on the practice squad, he won’t take up an opening. The 16-man practice squad becomes 17, with Hayball serving as an additional member, and the same transaction rules apply to him — he’s eligible for three game-day promotions to the active roster, and he can be signed to another team’s roster at any point during the season.
Thus, the Falcons have a backup punter already in their building should they need one this season, and Hayball doesn’t count against the roster limit.
The Falcons begin training camp July 29 in Flowery Branch.