Head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff trimmed their roster to 75 players on Saturday morning, cutting ties with nine players — including QB Sean Renfree.
Atlanta's brass is encouraged by the depth on the team, making next weekend's cuts even more difficult as the team gets ready to finalize their roster as preseason comes to a close.
"It's a really deep, competitive group," Dimitroff said. "It's been very impressive at many levels."
The Falcons were handed some unfortunate news on Friday when they found out first-round pick Keanu Neal would be sidelined three to four weeks due to a knee injury.
Behind Neal on the depth chart at strong safety is Kemal Ishmael, who's missed Atlanta's most recent preseason games against the Browns and Dolphins with a shoulder injury. Quinn expects Ishmael to return to practice on Sunday in a limited fashion.
With Ishmael and Neal's injuries, the team worked out veteran Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson on Saturday.
Quinn and Dimitroff were pleased with Goldson's workout, but said Ishmael would be the starter until Neal returns, even if they do sign Goldson.
