FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons placed kicker Matt Bryant, who had a lingering quadriceps injury, on season-ending injure reserve on Friday.
They promoted nose tackle Joey Mbu, an undrafted rookie from the University of Houston, to the 53-man roster. Mbu is needed for depth with nose tackle Paul Soliai out for Sunday’s game with a calf injury.
Bryant had missed the past two games. He has missed 4 of 18 field goal attempts this season. Three of them were in the 40 to 49 yards range. He’s missed one under 40 yards.
At age 40, Bryant is one of the oldest players in the league.
Bryant joined the Falcons in 2009 and has made 162 of 181 field-goal attempts, including the 49-yarder at the buzzer to beat Seattle 30-29 in the divisional round of the playoffs Jan. 13, 2013 to send the Falcons to the NFC Championship game.
He has scored a total of 731 points for the Falcons, which ranks second on the all-time scoring list.
Shayne Graham, who’s 6-foot, 197 pounds, made 5-of-5 field goals over the past two games, including a 52-yarder, will handle the field goals for the rest of the season.
Mbu, 6-3, 310 pounds, spent the first 13 weeks of the season as a member on the Falcons practice squad.
