Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who’s in charge of the final roster, completed the cutdown to a 53-man roster Saturday, and he left a spot open to add another player through free agency.
“These were very difficult decisions, and I cannot thank all the guys enough for their effort during this process,” Quinn said. “I was impressed by the approach all offseason, camp and the preseason. I like the group we have put together after a very competitive camp, and I am looking forward to us hitting the field this week to prepare for Week 1.”
Owner Arthur Blank is looking forward to the season and has some high expectations for his new coach and a franchise that is trying to rebound from two losing seasons.
“We’re not about rebuilding and building,” Blank said. “We’re about winning, and we’re about winning now.”
Running back Antone Smith, a stalwart on special teams, was one of the surprise cuts, as the team reached an injury settlement with him.
Smith, 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds, suffered a hamstring in the exhibition opener against Tennessee. He hasn’t practiced since. He also was coming back from a broken leg suffered last season.
In addition to Smith, the Falcons released linebacker Derek Akunne, outside linebacker Tyler Starr, offensive tackle Pierce Burton, cornerback Akeem King, offensive guard Eric Lefeld, linebacker Stansly Maponga, nose tackle Joey Mbu and wide receiver Carlton Mitchell.
The Falcons waived injured offensive lineman Adam Replogle, running back Jerome Smith and tight end D.J. Tialavea. Atlanta also placed guard Jon Asamoah, fullback Collin Mooney and cornerback Travis Howard on season-ending injured reserve.
The Falcons reached an injury settlement with tight Tony Moeaki (ankle).
The Falcons released quarterbacks T.J. Yates and Rex Grossman on Friday along with safety Sean Baker, linebacker Terrell Manning, tackle Jake Rodgers, guard Jared Smith, cornerback Kevin White and defensive end Cliff Matthews.
“We have had a very busy weekend following Thursday’s game,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “We started by acquiring veteran left guard Andy Levitre from the Tennessee Titans. Both coach Quinn and I have been very open about always looking for ways to improve our roster, and we felt this move did exactly that. Andy is a proven player in this league, and we feel like he will be a good fit for our offensive line.”
Last season, Antone Smith emerged as a big-play threat while scoring five touchdowns on just 36 touches with each score going for at least 38 yards. Smith thought he was a good fit for the team’s new outside-zone blocking scheme, the Falcons have elected to keep Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman and Terron Ward as running backs.
With the release of Yates and Grossman, the Falcons are prepared to enter the season with Sean Renfree, who hasn’t played in a regular-season game, as the backup to two-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan.
Ryan has proved to be durable. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2009 season. His streak of 87 starts in a row is the fifth-longest among active quarterbacks, despite playing under severe duress the past two seasons.
The Falcons gave the Titans a sixth-round pick in 2016 and a conditional pick in a future year in exchange for Levitre.
The Falcons are keeping an eye on the other cuts league-wide with the hopes of upgrading the offensive line and possibly the linebacker spot, with Brooks Reed recovering from groin surgery.
"We're continuing to always look out in free agency and there are a lot of cuts to be (made)," Dimitroff said on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently. "We'll always keep our eyes on the market and see if someone comes available that will help our depth or even more so than our depth."
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