FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons made a slew of transactions Saturday prior to their Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers.
First off, inside linebacker Nate Landman was activated to the active roster from the reserve/injured list. He had been designated to return from injured reserve on Monday.
Landman was originally placed on injured reserve on Sept. 16 due to quad and calf injuries. The quad injury had been a lingering issue since training camp. The calf injury came to light in the team's Week 2 injury reports, and Landman was placed on injured reserve prior to the Falcons' win against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Landman's return comes at a clutch time for the Falcons, as inside linebacker Troy Andersen was ruled out of Sunday’s game because of a knee injury.
In addition to the Landman move, cornerback Kevin King was signed to the practice squad, and linebacker Rashaan Evans was released.
King was released by the Falcons on Friday, but he's not only returning, he's been chosen as the standard practice squad elevation for Sunday's game, along with offensive lineman Matt Hennessy. This marks King's second elevation and Hennessy's third.
King, who was previously on the active roster, has played in five games for the Falcons this season. He has taken five defensive and 41 special teams snaps, recording three tackles in the process. King has five previous seasons of experience with the Green Bay Packers from 2017-21. He took the 2022 season off due to personal reasons and then missed the 2023 season because of an injury.
Hennessy, meanwhile, was a third-round draft pick for the Falcons in 2020 and played in 41 games, starting 22, between 2020-22. Despite three previous elevations, he has not taken a snap in 2024.
The Falcons-Panthers game is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
Previous 2024 practice squad elevations include:
- Week 1: cornerback Kevin King and wide receiver Chris Blair
- Week 2: safety Dane Cruikshank
- Week 3: none
- Week 4: offensive lineman Matt Hennessy
- Week 5: offensive lineman Matt Hennessy and inside linebacker Josh Woods
As a reminder, teams can elevate up to two practice squad players per game. Each player can only be elevated a max of three times. If a fourth time comes up, the player must be signed to the active roster.
