The Atlanta Falcons trimmed their roster to meet the NFL's 53-man roster requirement this weekend, and the team is already making some tweaks.
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On Monday, the team announced fullback Ricky Ortiz would be waived with an injury settlement and that it had agreed to terms with fullback Keith Smith.
Smith, 27, began his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. In five seasons with the Cowboys, Smith played 47 games with four starts and was part of one of the NFL's top rushing offenses. Last season, Smith played in all 16 games and made three starts for the Oakland Raiders. Smith caught five passes for the Raiders, gaining 26 yards.
Ortiz was Atlanta's primary fullback in 2018, and he maintained that job for the Falcons throughout the preseason. Ortiz suffered an ankle injury during the Falcons' fourth preseason game against the Washington Redskins.
The Falcons added two more players to their practice squad Monday, leaving them one spot remaining on the 10-man unit.
As of right now, here is the list of players comprising the Falcons practice squad:
- WR Christian Blake
- S Jamal Carter
- S Chris Cooper
- QB Danny Etling
- OL Sean Harlow
- DE Austin Larkin
- WR Brandon Powell
- DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
- DT Justin Zimmer
The addition of wide receiver Brandon Powell and safety Jamal Carter brings the Falcons' practice squad total to nine after they signed an initial seven players on Sunday.
Powell, 22, played in six games for the Detroit Lions last season and made one start as a rookie. The 5-foot-8, 188-pound receiver caught 11 passes for 129 yards in 2018. Carter, 25, was active for 16 games with the Denver Broncos in 2017 but was placed on IR ahead of the 2018 season. He has eight tackles and one pass defense in his career.
