The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have waived tight end Chase Coffman, linebacker Max Gruder, kicker Erik Folk, running back Richard Medlin, fullback Lee Meisner, defensive end Louis Nzegwu, wide receiver Kenny Stafford, and tight end Aron White. The Falcons have also placed tackle Will Svitek on injured reserve and reached injury settlements with defensive tackle Elisha Joseph and cornerback Darrin Walls.
Coffman, 6-6, 250 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a free agent on August 11, 2012. He was originally selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round (98th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Gruder, 6-2, 230 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on April 30, 2012. He notched a team-high 116 tackles (58 solo) with 8.5 tackles for loss, three passes defensed and one half sack in his senior season at Pittsburgh.
Folk, 5-11, 185 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on June 18, 2012. He was a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2011 as a senior at the University of Washington.
Medlin, 5-11, 200 pounds was signed by the Falcons as a free agent on August 5, 2012. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as a college free agent on August 3, 2011. He was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad in September and promoted to the active roster for the 2011 season finale.
Meisner, 6-0, 245 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on May 5, 2012 after he was brought in to Atlanta's rookie minicamp as a tryout player. He played linebacker at CSU-Pueblo.
Nzegwu, 6-4, 255 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on April 30, 2012. He was a four-year letter winner for the University of Wisconsin appearing in 48 games with 27 starts during his career in Madison.
Stafford, 6-4, 204 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on May 5, 2012 after he was brought in to Atlanta's rookie minicamp as a tryout player. He caught 21 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown in 2011 as a senior at Toledo.
White, 6-4, 239 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on May 5, 2012 after he was brought in to Atlanta's rookie minicamp as a tryout player. He caught nine passes for 101 yards and four touchdowns during his final season at the University of Georgia in 2011.
Svitek, 6-6, 308 pounds, was originally selected as a sixth round draft choice (187th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2005 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Falcons as a free agent in 2009. Svitek played in all 16 games last season, including 10 starts at left tackle.
Joseph, 6-3, 275 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a free agent on July 25, 2012. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as a college free agent in 2011 and was later signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.
Walls, 6-0, 190 pounds, was originally signed by the Falcons as a college free agent on July 26, 2011. He saw action in five games as a rookie in 2011, recording one interception and two passes defensed while also contributing on special teams.
As part of the NFL's mandatory roster cut down the Falcons will have to reduce their roster to 75 players by 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday, August 27. Atlanta will have to trim its roster to 53 players by August 31 and may establish an eight-player practice squad beginning on September 1.
