The Falcons didn’t exactly treat Zach Harrison like a player they were eager to lose, and that’s what makes this whole sequence feel so uneasy for Atlanta.
On Wednesday, general manager Ian Cunningham made it plain that waiving Harrison to open space for three waiver claims was anything but painless. Josh Kendall of The Athletic reported that Cunningham described the move as “a gut punch,” then explained why the team was glad to get Harrison back after he cleared waivers.
“He’s a pro’s pro," Cunningham said. "He’s a great guy.
We got him back on practice squad, happy to get him back. It gives us some veteran leadership on practice squad.
In the event we need him, he’ll be ready."
That’s a strong show of respect for a player the Falcons just put on the chopping block.
Atlanta needed room for three new additions: linebackers Yasir Abdullah and Jared Ivey, plus offensive tackle Cameron Williams. Someone had to be the odd man out, and Harrison - a former third-round pick - wound up being the one moved off the 53-man roster.
From a pure roster-management standpoint, the logic is easy enough to follow. End-of-preseason cuts are part of the NFL grind, and the Falcons clearly valued the incoming trio enough to make the swap. But Harrison was not some throwaway piece.
The fact that Cunningham called the release a “gut punch” says plenty. If Atlanta had truly decided Harrison was no longer part of the plan, there would be no need for that kind of language. Instead, the Falcons worked to keep him in the building by bringing him back to the practice squad once he went unclaimed.
That’s the part that makes the whole thing feel like a near miss.
The risk is sharper because Atlanta’s pass rush is already dealing with real setbacks. Jalon Walker is out for the season with a torn ACL, and James Pearce Jr. is suspended for the first eight games. The Falcons have added veteran Za'Darius Smith and traded for Gervon Dexter, and the waiver claim of Ivey gives them another young defensive lineman to develop.
Even with those moves, Harrison still mattered. He brought NFL experience, youth, and enough flashes of production to make his departure a questionable call in the first place.
Atlanta got the best-case outcome by landing him back on the practice squad. But that doesn’t erase the danger. With the defensive front already thinned out, keeping Harrison in a spot where another team can still come calling is a gamble the Falcons will be watching closely.
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