Atlanta Falcons Cut Seven Players, More Yet To Come

Dave the Falconer — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:00:37 -0000

by John Amis - AP

Jason Snelling stiff-arms the first round of cuts. And also the Ravens. But that's less important. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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We knew the axe would be falling again following Thursday's pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens, and it claimed seven Friday afternoon.

There's not a name on this list that blew me away, but this signals that bigger names are to come. Perhaps the biggest surprises were Chandler Williams, who had been excellent in special teams duty but probably didn't show enough as a receiver to stick around, and Ben Wilkerson, who had been a sturdy backup center for the better part of the last two seasons. Cornerbacks Glenn Sharpe and Tony Tiller were clearly heading out, safety Erick Brock was only a mild surprise and Ryan Stanchek and Adam Speer weren't long for this offensive line. This is depth on its way out.

With a 4 p.m. deadline Saturday to cut all the way down to 53, we haven't seen the last of the cuts, and it's likely that a few rookies from the 2009 draft are on the block. Feel free to discuss your own thoughts on the roster and who will make the final team, and I've posted my own 53-man following the jump. Let's see what Saturday brings.

QB Matt Ryan
QB Chris Redman
QB John Parker Wilson
RB Michael Turner
RB Jerious Norwood
RB Thomas Brown
FB Ovie Mughelli
FB/RB Jason Snelling
WR Roddy White
WR Michael Jenkins
WR Brian Finneran
WR Marty Booker
WR Eric Weems
TE Tony Gonzalez
TE Justin Peelle
TE Keith Zinger
T Sam Baker
T Tyson Clabo
T Garrett Reynolds
T Michael Butterworth
G Quinn Ojinnaka
G Justin Blalock
G Harvey Dahl
C Todd McClure
C Brett Romberg
LS Mike Schneck

DE John Abraham
DE Jamaal Anderson
DE Chauncey Davis
DE Kroy Biermann
DE Lawrence Sidbury
DT Jon Babineaux
DT Peria Jerry
DT Trey Lewis
DT Vance Walker
OLB Mike Peterson
OLB Jamie Winborn
OLB Stephen Nicholas
OLB Coy Wire
MLB Curtis Lofton
MLB Tony Gilbert
CB Chris Houston
CB Brent Grimes
CB Tye Hill
CB Chevis Jackson
CB Chris Owens
SS Eric Coleman
SS William Moore
FS Thomas DeCoud
S Jamaal Fudge
S Antoine Harris

K Jason Elam
P Michael Koenen

Poll

Is Dave the Falconer's final roster projection realistic?

You can see into the future! Get out of my head!

30 votes

Don't quit your day job...if you even have one

20 votes

I'm going to wait and see before passing judgment

19 votes

What, no Steve Bartkowski? This is an outrage!

30 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

Atlanta Falcons Ink C Jeremy Newberry

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:21:02 -0000

There has been speculation for months now that the Falcons might sign Jeremy Newberry as insurance at center, and today they made that dream a reality.

Twelve seasons into his career, the reliable center is not the same player he once was, primarily due to knee injuries that have left him less mobile than before. Still, he played in all sixteen games for the San Diego Chargers last season and is still a terrific backup to have around. That's especially true if the team managed to sign him for cheap, which I suspect is the case.

Of course, there's a slight chance that Newberry will be competing to start if McClure has any problems this season, which is a little bit more frightening. If that happened, it would leave whoever's left out of Alex Stepanovich, Brett Romberg, Ben Wilkerson and Newberry to duke it out for a starting job. My hunch is that given the injury concerns with the position, the Falcons will keep Romberg and Newberry behind McClure.

Basically, it's at worst a nice depth move for the Falcons, who need all the help they can get along the offensive line. I'm on board with it. How about you?