FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons rounded out their initial 16-man practice squad on Thursday and Friday by signing three more players.
Offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson and defensive lineman Khalid Kareem were signed Thursday while linebacker Monty Rice was signed Friday. All three join the 13 players who signed Wednesday. This trio of additions is different from the initial baker's dozen in that none of them spent any time this preseason with the Falcons. They came from elsewhere.
Wilkinson is actually familiar to Atlanta, though, having played for the Falcons in 2022. He started in nine games and took 100% of the offensive snaps at left guard in those games. Wilkinson battled through injuries during that season and spent time on injured reserve from Weeks 9-13.
Overall, Wilkinson, a former undrafted free agent, has appeared in at least nine games each season since joining the league in 2017. His peak came in 2019, when he played 15 games and started 12 with the Denver Broncos. He has a history of playing both guard and tackle on either side of the line. He also has three fumble recoveries on his resume, all in different seasons.
The Arizona Cardinals released Wilkinson at Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline.
Kareem was also a 53-man casualty for the Chicago Bears.
Kareem joined the NFL in 2020 as a fifth-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. As a rookie, he played in all of the Bengals' games, totaling 19 tackles and a sack. He hasn't topped seven game appearances since then, however, and most recently played in just one game during the 2023 season. To be fair, that was mainly due to injuries. Kareem was on injured reserve at some point in each of the last three seasons.
Rice was a third-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia for the Tennessee Titans in 2021. In the three seasons that followed, Rice totaled 128 tackles, five stops for loss and two pass breakups. His best season came in 2022 when he made 66 tackles, four stops for loss and one pass breakup.
The fourth-year linebacker spent training camp with the New Orleans Saints after the team claimed him off waivers late last season. The Saints let Rice go Wednesday to reach their 53-man limit.
As always, it's important to remember the practice squad roster is fluid. The Falcons may have reached their initial 16-man count for 2024, but that doesn't mean it is set in stone.
Here is a look at Atlanta's initial practice squad:
- WR Chris Blair
- CB Natrone Brooks
- S Dane Cruikshank
- OL Julién Davenport
- WR Dylan Drummond
- TE John FitzPatrick
- DL Demone Harris
- DL Khalid Kareem
- CB Kevin King
- DT Zion Logue
- DL LaCale London
- WR Jesse Matthews
- LB Monty Rice
- OL Andrew Stueber
- RB Carlos Washington Jr.
- OL Elijah Wilkinson
