The Falcoholic
Atlanta’s making moves just before the regular season begins, and in what can only be considered a positive sign for Darnell Mooney’s Week 1 availability, one of those moves is a wide receiver cut.
Per multiple reports, the Falcons have cut David Sills, their seventh receiver after final cutdown. He seems very likely to hit the practice squad soon, as the Falcons liked him enough to keep him around, but they’ll roll forward with six receivers on the active roster for the moment.
The corresponding move here adds a defender, as the Falcons will be scooping up Carolina Panthers practice squad defensive lineman Sam Roberts. He’ll be added to the 53 man roster, though I’m not certain he’ll be active Sunday against the Buccaneers.
Sills will likely bump someone else off the practice squad in short order after the team treated him like a roster lock in preseason, letting him play a few snaps at the beginning of preseason games where he looked quite solid. Once he’s on the squad, Sills could be in line for an elevation or two in the coming weeks, barring another team snapping him up before then. The reality is that the Falcons have plenty of options even if Mooney, a gametime decision per Raheem Morris, does not suit up on Sunday, given that they have six receivers on the roster and the ability to elevate Dylan Drummond, Chris Blair, or Nick Nash as they see fit.
Roberts, meanwhile, is a former Patriots late round pick who spent last year with the Panthers and had been on Carolina’s practice squad. He has appeared in 17 games with one NFL start and has eight tackles, scoring well per Pro Football Focus as a run defender in 2024 after a shaky start to his career in New England. Roberts likely caught Atlanta’s eye in Week 18 playing for a decimated defensive front that did a surprisingly good job against the Falcons. He’ll give Atlanta another depth option along a defensive line that could definitely use more solid work against the run, though his three-year history in the NFL suggests we shouldn’t expect him to add much to the pass rush.
Welcome Sam Roberts, and we’ll likely see David Sills back here soon enough.
