FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have begun thinning their 90-man roster in preparation for Tuesday's 53-man cut deadline.
On Sunday, the Falcons announced they released the following 13 players.
- Wide receiver Josh Ali
- Offensive lineman Zack Bailey
- Safety Lukas Denis
- Cornerback William Hooper
- Linebacker Storey Jackson
- Offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith
- Offensive lineman John Leglue
- Inside linebacker Donavan Mutin
- Quarterback John Paddock
- Tight end Austin Stogner
- Cornerback Trey Vaval
- Outside linebacker Bradlee Anae
- Tight end Jordan Thomas
Mutin, Denis and Anae are among the standouts in that group for their performance this preseason.
Mutin was an undrafted free agent in 2023 who the Falcons signed to their practice squad in late October. He played in all three of the preseason games, totaling a team-high 28 tackles. That broke down to six against the Miami Dolphins, four against the Baltimore Ravens and 18 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He took every defensive snap against the Jaguars, so the peak of 18 made sense.
Denis was also an undrafted free agent who the Falcons signed to their practice squad in early September. He, too, played in all three of the preseason games, totaling 11 tackles, two tackles for a loss and two pass breakups. He had a pass breakup and three tackles against the Dolphins, four tackles, including two for a loss against the Ravens and four tackles with a pass breakup against the Jaguars. He only took every defensive snap against the Ravens.
Anae is a former fifth-round draft pick who was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. He has appeared in 11 games since then, with a quarterback hit and two tackles on his resume. His last live experience came in 2021. He spent 2022 on the New York Jets' practice squad and then was on injured reserve in 2023.
The Falcons signed Anae back in May. He played in all three of the preseason games, totaling six tackles, four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. He had a tackle and quarterback hit against the Dolphins, three tackles, two quarterback hits and a half-sack against the Ravens and two tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit against the Jaguars. The most he played in a single preseason game equaled 77% of the defensive snaps against the Jaguars.
This transaction brings the Falcons' roster total to 77 players. Another 24 will need to be released by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.
