The Atlanta Falcons have made a flurry of roster moves in recent days, but far and away the biggest move was signing three-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith. When he expressed interest in coming out of retirement, the Falcons used his connection to Kevin Stefanski to poach him away from Cleveland.
Considering Atlanta badly needed pass-rush help with both Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. on the mend, they finally got it. But it's been a bit of a roster shuffle across the last couple of weeks as Stefanski and Ian Cunningham have been playing the chaos card to lean into summer competition.
There's no such thing as a summer in the NFL without a little chaos, and the Falcons have turned it up to 11. It feels like an episode of Seinfeld in Flowery Branch, and all the shuffling and scrambling may see other players' roster spots come into jeopardy.
As Willy Wonka once said, in a world of imagination, everything is possible. But these four players seem to be in the most danger of being cut after the Smith news.
These 3 Atlanta Falcons players are on the wrong side of the roster bubble
CB Cobee Bryant
To say it's been a rough summer for second-year cornerback Cobee Bryant would be a Texas-sized understatement. He looks like Kevin King incarnate out there with all the reception he allowed and penalties he's committed, especially in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.
Of the 34 defensive players that saw the field last Friday night, the highly-touted UDFA ranked dead last in PFF grade. His 29.2 PFF grade and 30.1 coverage grade saw him be called for three penalties and allow three receptions for 35 yards on 40 snaps. Those numbers make him almost unplayable.
The Kansas product was already falling behind C.J. Henderson and Clark Phillips III in his quest for a roster spot, and now he's in danger of falling behind Malcolm DeWalt IV as well.
RB Cash Jones
Cash Jones was supposed to be the Atlanta Falcons' secret weapon this summer, but he's really become a glorified tweener. First he was a running back, then was converted to slot receiver, and is back to playing running back. There's more flip-flopping here than in a Taylor Swift relationship.
The Georgia product has found himself playing behind both Nate Carter and Tyler Goodson, so he hardly saw the field against the Broncos. Jones was out there for a staggering seven snaps against the Broncos, and recorded just three carries for eight yards and failed to haul in his only target.
I know he's a receiving back and the offensive line was being held together by scotch tape, but 2.8 yards per carry? Yikes. It's really starting to seem like the Dirty Birds don't have much room for him anymore.
QB Cooper Rush
The quarterback play was the biggest issue at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last weekend, and Rush was the root of the issue. He completed 7 of 19 pass attempts for 62 yards and two interceptions. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was watching Nathan Peterman was all of the ducks he was throwing.
The guy completed 36.8% of his passes on the game for a 6.8 passer rating. I didn't even know a passer rating in the single digits was possible. Meanwhile, UDFA Jack Strand looked much more poised to the point where I thought the rookie and the veteran had a Freaky Friday moment pregame.
Right now, Strand looks like the better candidate to be the QB3, and if Rush doesn't get it together fast, he may be forced to find property in another new city.
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