The Atlanta Falcons announced a trio of moves Saturday afternoon. The team has agreed to terms with three players: kicker Blair Walsh, defensive tackle Stefan Charles and tight end Thomas Duarte; the Falcons are also waiving wide receivers Shawn Bane and Kahlil Lewis as well as offensive lineman Tommy Doles.
Walsh, 29, is a former All-Pro kicker who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent five seasons with the Vikings, converting 84.2 percent of his field goals and 94.5 percent of his extra-point attempts. Walsh was last with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, where he made 72.4 percent of his field goal tries.
A former Georgia Bulldog, Walsh remains the all-time leading scorer in the school's history and is second all-time in the SEC.
The Falcons have kicker Giorgio Tavecchio on their roster, but following their recent postseason game against the Washington Redskins, in which Tavecchio missed a 39-yard attempt, coach Dan Quinn said he would continue to evaluate the position.
In addition to Walsh, the Falcons have agreed to terms with Charles and Duarte. Charles, 31, last played in a game in 2016 as a member of the Detroit Lions, but he has spent time since then with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. During his four NFL seasons, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive tackle has 60 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles.
Duarte, 24, was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After spending time on the Dolphins practice squad in 2017, the team waived Duarte, who has been with the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers at times during the past two seasons.
Bane and Lewis each signed with the Falcons this offseason as undrafted college free agents, while Doles signed with Atlanta prior to the team's second preseason game.
