The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have signed safety Charles Godfrey, tight end Tony Moeaki, and have released tight end Mickey Shuler. Also, wide receiver Devin Hester will be placed on injured reserve-designated to return.
"We have decided to place Devin on short-term IR," said Head Coach Dan Quinn. "We have been trying to treat his toe injury the best we could, and he has been doing everything in his power to get back on the field, but at this point we think this is the best plan of action. We are confident this time will let Devin get healthy and be a big contributor to this team once he is back on the field."
Godfrey, 5-11, 210 pounds, was originally selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (67th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He was signed by the Falcons as a free agent on October 28, 2014 after spending six-plus seasons in Carolina. Godfrey played in five games with the Falcons and seven games with the Panthers last season. Prior to joining the Falcons, he played in 82 games with 75 starts while tallying 372 tackles (289 solo), three sacks, 33 passes defensed, and 11 interceptions.
Moeaki, 6-3, 245 pounds, was originally selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He spent the first three years of his career in Kansas City before joining the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and later the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Moeaki has played in 38 games with 31 starts and totaled 88 receptions for 1,143 yards with five touchdowns.
Hester, 5-11, 190 pounds, was originally selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round (57th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Miami. In 2014, he played in 16 games with one start, and tallied 38 catches for 504 yards and two touchdowns. Hester also had another great year in the return game, leading the League in yards per punt with 13.3, number of kickoff/punt returns (63), and combined kick and punt yards with 1368 yards.
According to NFL rules, Hester will not be eligible to practice until six weeks has passed from the date the he was placed on designated to return. Hester will also not be eligible to return to the active/inactive list until eight weeks after the date he was placed on the designated to return list [Week 13 at Tampa Bay].
Shuler, 6-4, 247 pounds, was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round (214th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was signed to the Falcons practice squad on September 1, 2013 where he spent the 2013 season.
