Falcons just received validation waiving Zach Harrison was the right decision

When the Atlanta Falcons waived Zach Harrison in correspondence with their waiver pickups, you'd think they just traded away Bijan Robinson. The fanbase was absolutely livid despite Ian Cunningham making it his mission to revamp the defensive line--and Harrison has some obvious injury concerns.

And while cutting Harrison didn't make much sense from a talent standpoint, it didn't take long for the Falcons to get confirmation they made the right choice. Not only did the fourth-year defensive tackle go unclaimed on waivers, he landed right back on the team's practice squad just like we all expected.

Given teams like the Giants, Saints, Bears, and Dolphins could have afforded to take a chance on a talented young defender, it's telling that nobody else wanted the former third-round pick: whether that be via trade or off waivers--but it's particularly validating he ended up right back in Atlanta.

In addition to bringing Harrison onto the practice squad, the Falcons brought back Khalid Kareem and Jammie Robinson--and released Cam Sample and Cobee Bryant. And of the 16 players currently on the P-Squad, a healthy Zach Harrison likely has the best chance of returning to the active roster.

The Atlanta Falcons are bringing Zach Harrison back on the practice squad

The 25-year-old was in the midst of a breakout year before injury struck in 2025, recording 4.5 sacks in seven games before a knee injury in Berlin against the Colts ended his season. And he missed a good chunk of training camp before being activated off the NFI list--this was never about talent.

Stashing Harrison offers him a chance to get healthier before Week 1, and doesn't offer any sort of pressure to have him ready by a certain date. Once they feel comfortable about his status, he can be elevated as a game-day call-up before eventually becoming a full-time member of the active roster.

Given the state of the DT room, it won't take much for him to be a game-day call-up. LaCale London, Maason Smith, Da'Shawn Hand, Gervon Dexter, and Brandon Dorlus are ahead of him--and Hand just returned from injury. Yes, the room is better than it was, but he's one of the team's best run defenders.

I imagine it was always in the Dirty Birds' plans to keep No. 96, even after they waived him. It was a risky play from this front office to not just use an IR spot on him if they were worried about his health, but since the end result was the same, there's no reason to complain about what it took to get here.

Zach Harrison could've pursued a fresh start with another team after being waived--where he likely could've played a key role on their practice squad, but instead chose to stick around with the team that drafted him. So everything worked out despite a rollercoaster of a last couple of days.

While there's still the chance he gets poached off the P-Squad, right now the Falcons have no reason to regret how things played out now that he's still here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow