Falcons work out eight at minicamp

The Falcons had eight additional players working out with the team over the weekend that were not signed to contracts. Among them were Hawaii wideout C.J. Hawthorne and Auburn safety Eric Brock, which previous reports falsely indicated had signed with the team. All of these players are vying for chances to be officially signed by the team and brought to training camp in July.

Also among them are wide receivers A.J. Bryant (Georgia), Tony Gonzalez (Boston College), and Gerald Landry (Southern), running back Chad Hall (Air Force), safety Jamal Lewis (Georgia Tech), and defensive tackle Eric Butler (Washburn).

Bryant started 1 year for the Bulldogs, his junior season where he had 14 catches for 251 yards (17.9 avg). For his career, he had 22 catches for 393 yards (17.9 avg) and 2 touchdowns. He only played in 5 games this past year due to a knee injury and had no catches.

Landry caught 158 career passes at Southern, for 2,030 yards (12.8 avg) and 20 touchdowns. He earned 2nd team All-SWAC honors each of the past two years.

Gonzalez finished his BC career a year ago with 89 career catches for 1,186 yards (13.3 avg) and 12 touchdowns. He started alongside current Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan for two seasons.

Hall led Air Force in both rushing and receiving this past year, and ranked 3rd in the nation with 2,584 all-purpose yards. He had 1,478 rushing yards and 50 receptions, and scored 16 total touchdowns this year.

Lewis was a two-year starter for Georgia Tech at strong safety, earning first team All-ACC honors as a junior. For his career, he had 171 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, and 9 pass breakups.

Butler had 47 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks this past year in his only year at Washburn. Previously, he played at Kansas in 2005 where he had 12 tackles and 2 sacks. He sat out the 2006 season due to an extended legal battle with the NCAA over eligibility.

Horn wants trade

Steve Wyche of the AJC reports that Falcons wide receiver Joe Horn desires the team to trade him. According to Wyche, Horn wants to be moved due to his desire for increased playing time.

"I want to win a Super Bowl and I want to win a Super Bowl here in Atlanta, but I don't think I can help this team win a Super Bowl sitting on the bench, waiting for third down... They're going with the younger guys and I don't have a problem with that, if that's the course they've chosen. I want to have an opportunity to play with a team that needs a veteran to play and contribute and who helps the young guys... When I came here last year I was promised I'd be on the field and it turned out I was a just-in-case guy with the situation that went on. So far this year, it seems like that's the case again."

-- Joe Horn

Per Wyche, Horn indicated he would remain professional as long as he remained with the Falcons, but would prefer a more expansive role than that as a mentor to the young guys. Horn signed with the Falcons last off-season to a four-year contract. He is slated to earn a base salary of $2.5 million this year. Previous reports have indicated that Horn was already possibly on the bubble as far as the roster goes. It is unknown if this new revelation changes his status with the team. Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff indicated however that the team forsees a future for Horn on the team.

Earlier this off-season, the Falcons traded disgruntled cornerback DeAngelo Hall after public comments indicating he no longer wanted to play for the team. The team also released running back Warrick Dunn after he asked for it as well.

Falcons hire Vital

The Falcons announced the hiring of Lionel Vital as the team's new assistant director of player personnel. Vital was among candidates the Falcons interviewed following the draft to beef up their front office. Last week the Falcons hired former Indianapolis Colts scout David Caldwell as the team's new director of college scouting.

Vital has previous working experience with Dimitroff, having spent a few years working closely together with each other in the New England Patriots organization. Vital's exact responsibilities in his new role with the Falcons has yet to be specified.

Falcons have 2nd highest rookie cap

ESPN's John Clayton reports that the Falcons have the second highest rookie salary cap pool in the league with approximately $7.92 milion. The Falcons will need to find a way to sign all eleven of their draft picks by fitting into that pool. Last season, the Falcons had the same number of picks but had the league's highest rookie cap.

Boley arrested on battery charges

The AJC reports that Falcons linebacker Michael Boley was arrested on Saturday on battery charges and has been released on $1,200 bond.

Falcons officials indicated they are aware of Boley's arrest, but have no comment. Boley last month signed a one-year restricted free agent tender worth over $2 million, and the team has been trying to give him a long-term extension.

Falcons sign Hawaii WR

The Honolulu Advertister reports that the Falcons have signed wide receiver C.J. Hawthorne, formerly of the University of Hawaii.

Hawthorne finished fourth on the team last season with 61 catches for 859 yards and 6 touchdowns. The 5'11" 167 wideout played cornerback as a junior. He had 16 tackles and 1 interception, starting 5 of 14 games that year. He was a transfer from Southwest Gulf Coast Community College.

Falcons hire Caldwell as college scouting director

The Falcons announced the hiring of David Caldwell as the team's new director of college scouting.

Caldwell recently served as western regional scout for the Indianapolis Colts since 2006. The previous eight seasons he was an area scout with the Colts. He also spent two years as a scouting assistant with the Carolina Panthers (1996-97). Caldwell is a graduate of John Carroll University, where he played linebacker.