Following yesterday's roster release deadline, all eyes were on the chaos would ensue once waiver claims were announced this afternoon. Roughly 1,200 players were released on Sunday, and a bunch of those players were primed to land new opportunities across the league once waivers opened.
Once waivers kicked off, it didn't take long for the Atlanta Falcons to make a couple of intriguing adds. With the 13th priority on waivers, the Falcons managed to claim three players to their active roster: Seattle EDGE Jared Ivey, Philadelphia OT Cameron Williams, and Jacksonville LB Yasir Abdullah.
And while it may not feel like a lot, all of these claims will come with a ripple effect that'll be felt throughout the roster. Not only do three players now have to be released, it remains to be seen how Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham are going to straighten things out amid the roster-palooza.
The Atlanta Falcons claimed three players off of waivers on Monday
Since they claimed three players, let's dive into what Atlanta is getting in each of them, starting with Williams, who is my personal favorite of the three. For all of the connections the Falcons' front office has to the Philadelphia Eagles, of course they were going to stake their claim on a former Eagle.
Cameron Williams was drafted by Philly in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, where he didn't get much playing time because he was stuck in a crowded OL room. But the talent was always there-- he was one of the better OT's in the nation for Texas in 2024--and most were higher on him than his draft slot. Oh, and he's a former teammate of Bijan Robinson's
At 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds, Williams has the size and the pass-blocking acumen to be great. He was particularly impressive in the preseason, and he could be a developmental piece as the abckup right tackle so seventh-round rookie Ethan Onianwa can be waived--and possibly hit the practice squad.
As for Abdullah, at 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds, he's more of a prototypical Jeff Ulbrich LB. He has the athleticism (4.47 second 40-yard dash) and 29 games of experience under his belt, where he's predominantly been a special teams player, but that's all he would be anyway as the presumed LB5.
The 2023 fifth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars is coming to the Dirty Birds to push for JD Bertrand's job--and it feels like his signing may be the nail in tne coffin for the third-year man. After all, Jeff Ulbrich has been looking for any excuse to replace him with a more athletic counterpart.
As for Jared Ivey, that's where the upside is the highest. The Georgia native was a 2025 UDFA of the Seattle Seahawks--where he was buried behind an elite defensive line. But at 6-foot-6 and 274 pounds, he's shown flashes of greatness---just look at this rep against All-Pro guard Trey Smith.
You give this guy the development from Nate Ollie on a Falcons team that is desperately looking for edge-rushing help, and this signing could look really good in a few months. With only three edge rushers on the roster, they almost have to offer the former North Gwinnett standout a key role.
All three of these players have upside and reason to be excited in Atlanta, but it doesn't seem like the chaos is done yet.
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