The Falcons’ roster churn kept rolling Monday, and one of the quieter moves may end up mattering more than it looked at first glance.
Atlanta placed third-year linebacker JD Bertrand on Injured Reserve, which means he’ll miss at least four games. To take his spot on the 53-man roster, the Falcons signed linebacker Josh Woods.
The team announced the move as part of a bigger round of post-cutdown housekeeping, with Atlanta still sorting through the final edges of its Week 1 roster after setting an initial 53-man group on Sunday. The Falcons also added three players through the waiver wire Monday and had to clear room by waiving three of their own, including 2023 third-round pick Zach Harrison.
Harrison was the most notable name in that group. He put up 4.5 sacks in only seven games last season before an injury ended his year, making his departure one of the more unexpected twists in Atlanta’s roster math.
Bertrand’s move also answers one of the lingering preseason questions. Plenty of observers wondered why he made the roster over some of the players who stood out in camp. Now the picture is clearer: he’s headed to IR, and the Falcons will have to move forward without him for at least the first month.
Atlanta’s addition of Woods does more than patch one hole, too. It opens another spot on the practice squad, where the Falcons currently sit at 14 players. With the league allowing 16, more additions could be coming soon.
In Other News...
Tua Just Added More Heat To Atlantas Unsettled QB Battle
Tua Tagovailoas arrival only added another layer to an already unsettled Falcons quarterback picture. After being released by the Dolphins, he signed a one-year deal in Atlanta and quickly became part of a crowded preseason competition that had the team carrying four quarterbacks, a sign that the job was not close to being settled.
Michael Penix Jr. is still viewed as the frontrunner for the Week 1 role, but Tuas inconsistent preseason showing left the door open without giving Atlanta much clarity. The question now is less about whether he can push his way into the mix and more about how much his path depends on Penix staying healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Quarterback Decision Comes With A Game-Day Roster Cost
Several NFL teams came out of cutdown day with more than the usual quarterback room intact, a sign that clubs are treating the position less like a depth chart and more like a long-term insurance policy. The Falcons are part of that group, joining teams such as the Vikings, Steelers, Eagles and Browns in keeping extra arms around after roster trimming, a move that can help protect a team if injury or inconsistency hits early in the season.
The tradeoff is straightforward, and it matters on game day: carrying an extra quarterback takes up one of the precious spots on a 53-man roster. For Atlanta, that means the decision is not only about developing a young passer or preserving flexibility, but also about what gets squeezed out elsewhere when the Falcons need to dress for Sundays. The league keeps showing that teams are willing to live with that cost, but it also leaves open how much patience each club will have once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Roster Criticism Is Missing One Key Part Of This Move
The Falcons decision to bring in Wanya Morris has already drawn some second-guessing, but the move is easier to understand when viewed through the lens of depth and cost control. Atlanta sent a 2027 sixth-round pick swap to the Chiefs for the offensive tackle, a modest price for a player the organization clearly wanted to examine more closely after Kansas City moved on from him during final roster cuts.
Morriss path since then has only sharpened the debate, with injury and competition helping push him off the Chiefs roster before he landed on the Cowboys practice squad. Still, the draft-pick criticism around the Falcons may be missing a key part of the equation: the team is expected to make up that lost selection through compensatory picks tied to recent player departures, which changes the real cost of taking the swing. [Read more 🡒]