Falcons add another undrafted safety

According to the Anniston Star, the Falcons haven't finished adding undrafted free agents. The Star reports that Auburn safety Eric Brock has been signed by the team. The 6' 208-pounder was a three-year starter at Auburn at strong safety. He finished his career with 149 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 13 pass breakups.

TheFalcons have really attempted to beef up their secondary the past few days. They drafted three defensive backs on the second day of the draft on Sunday, claimed another safety off waivers on Tuesday, and Brock is the fourth defensive back to sign as an undrafted free agent.

Xanders gets job in Denver

Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that the Denver Broncos have hired Brian Xanders as an assistant GM. Xanders has been a long-time front office employee and assistant coach with the Falcons, joining the team 14 years ago. According to Klis, the Falcons attempted to entice Xanders to stay, but he opted to leave for Denver where he is expected to have an expansion of his duties that he performs in Atlanta. The past few seasons with the Falcons Xanders has functioned as the team's salary cap manager and chief contract negotiator.

The Falcons are in the process of interviewing candidates to add to their own front office. It's unknown if any of these prospective hires will take over some or all of Xanders's former duties, or if the team will promote from within.

2008 Free Agent Tracker

Just like a year ago, this is where you can stay up to date as we monitor which free agents go in and out of Atlanta.

Coming

Apr. 29 - S Nick Turnbull, Bengals
Apr. 29 - WR Chandler Williams, Dolphins
Mar. 21 - K Jason Elam, Broncos (4 yrs.)
Mar. 14 - TE Jason Rader, Patriots
Mar. 10 - C Alex Stepanovich, Bengals (2 yrs.)
Mar. 7 - DT Rashad Moore, Patriots (1 yr.)
Mar. 7 - DE Simon Fraser, Browns (2 yrs.)
Mar. 6 - DT Kindal Moorehead, Panthers (2 yrs.)
Mar. 2 - TE Ben Hartsock, Titans (4 yrs.)
Mar. 2 - RB Michael Turner, Chargers (6 yrs.)
Mar. 1 - S Erik Coleman, Jets (4 yrs.)
Mar. 1 - CB Von Hutchins, Texans (4 yrs.)

Going

Apr. 7 - S Omare Lowe (UFA/signed with Seahawks)
Mar. 29 - S Chris Crocker (UFA/signed with Dolphins)
Mar. 20 - CB DeAngelo Hall (traded to Raiders)
Mar. 18 - TE Dwayne Blakley (UFA/signed with Titans)
Mar. 10 - TE Courtney Anderson (UFA/signed with Bills)
Mar. 3 - RB Warrick Dunn (released/signed with Bucs)
Mar. 1 - LB Demorrio Williams (UFA/signed with Chiefs)
Feb. 19 - DT Rod Coleman (released)
Feb. 19 - TE Alge Crumpler (released/signed with Titans)
Feb. 19 - WR Jamin Elliott (released)
Feb. 19 - OT Wayne Gandy (released)
Feb. 19 - QB Byron Leftwich (released)
Feb. 19 - CB Lewis Sanders (released/signed with Patriots)
Feb. 19 - LB Marcus Wilkins (released)

Staying

Apr. 18 - FB Corey McIntyre (1 yr.)
Apr. 14 - P Michael Koenen (1 yr.)
Apr. 14 - DE Chauncey Davis (1 yr.)
Apr. 9 - LB Michael Boley (1 yr.)
Mar. 24 - DT Montavious Stanley (1 yr.)
Mar. 19 - OT Tyson Clabo (1 yr.)
Mar. 11 - QB Joey Harrington (1 yr., released on Mar. 5 then re-signed)
Mar. 10 - DT Tim Anderson (1 yr.)
Feb. 29 - QB Chris Redman (2 yrs.)

Scheduled Visits

Mar. 19 - K Jason Elam, Broncos
Mar. 7 - C Alex Stepanovich, Bengals
Mar. 6 - DT Kindal Moorehead, Panthers
Feb. 29 - RB Michael Turner, Chargers
Feb. 29 - TE Ben Hartsock, Titans
Feb. 29 - CB Von Hutchins, Texans
Feb. 29 - S Erik Coleman, Jets

Rumored Interest

QB J.P. Losman, Bills (source: Draft Daddy)
*QB Billy Volek, Chargers (source: Draft Daddy/re-signed with Chargers)
RB Mike Bell, Broncos (source: Denver Post)
TE Jermaine Wiggins, ex-Jaguars (source: Star Tribune)
*OT Flozell Adams, Cowboys (source: Draft Daddy/re-signed with Cowboys)
*OT Stacy Andrews, Bengals (source: FOX Sports)
*OT Maurice Williams, Jaguars (source: Times-Union/re-signed with Jaguars)
*DE Corey Smith, Lions (source: JS Online/re-signed with Lions)
*DT Marcus Stroud, Jaguars (source: FOX Sports/traded to Bills)
*LB Kevin Bentley, Seahawks (source: Scout.com/signed with Texans)
*LB Derrick Pope, Dolphins (source: Scout.com/signed with Vikings)
*CB Randall Gay, Patriots (source: Yahoo!/signed with Saints)
*CB William James, Eagles (source: ESPN/signed with Bills)
*S Madieu Williams, Bengals (source: AJC/signed with Vikings)
*S Gibril Wilson, Giants (source: SF Chronicle/signed with Raiders)
*K Josh Brown, Seahawks (source: ESPN/signed with Rams)

* indicates player signed a contract with another team

Xanders a candidate in Denver

The Denver Post reports that Falcons director of football administration Brian Xanders is a candidate for an upper-level personnel position in the Denver Broncos front office. Earlier this off-season, the Broncos fired GM Ted Sundquist. Xanders is a candidate to fill some of the duties in Sundquist's absence. Xanders is expected to form a sort of "triumvirate" in the Broncos front office along with current execs Jim and Jeff Goodman.

Previously, Xanders was considered for an open position with the Green Bay Packers. Xanders primary responsibilities with the Falcons are as chief contract negotiator and salary cap management. It's likely he'd have a similar role in Denver.

Falcons to interview front office candidates

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reports that the Falcons are looking to beef up their personnel department by adding someone into an upper-level position. Reiss reports that Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff is set to interview two current members of the Baltimore Ravens personnel department: Vincent Newsome and Lionel Vital. Vital worked with Dimitroff in New England.

Newsome currently is the Raven Asst. Director of Pro Personnel, a position he's held since 2003. Prior to that he spent seven years as a scout within the organization. He spent three years as a scout with the Cleveland Browns prior to their move to Baltimore in 1996. He is a former NFL safety, playing for the St. Louis Rams (1983-90) and Cleveland Browns (1991-92). He had 16 interceptions in 141 career games.

Vital, the Ravens national scout, has been in the Ravens organization since 2005. Prior to that he spent four years with the New England Patriots as assistant director of college scouting, working very closely with Dimitroff. In 2000, he was a scout for the Patriots. Prior to that he spent time as a scout with the New York Jets (1997-99), Ravens (1996), Cleveland Browns (1991-95), and Montreal Machine (1990-91) of the Canadian Football League. He played 3 games with the Washington Redskins in 1987 where he had 346 yards and 2 touchdowns.

ProFootballTalk also reports that Dimitroff will also interview Indianapolis Colts scout Dave Caldwell. According to the Colts website, Caldwell is listed as the team's Western Regional Scout.

Falcons sign seven undrafted free agents

This is a compilation of several entries...

The Falcons announced the signing of seven undrafted free agents today, including the five players previously mentioned as being added along with two more. Those two additional free agents were offensive tackle Mike Butterworth (Slippery Rock) and safety D.J. Wolfe (Oklahoma).

The Falcons showed interest in Butterworth before by attending Slippery Rock's pro day in March.

Wolfe earned second team all Big12 honors this past year, finishing the year with 87 tackles and 4 interceptions. This past season was his first at the safety position after spending two previous years at cornerback.

Bloomsburg University reports that running back Jamar Brittingham has signed a free agent contract with the Falcons. Brittingham is Bloomsburg's all-time leading rusher and scorer with 5,689 yards and 516 points scored. He was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, given to Division II's top player. This past season he had 1,435 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.

The Miami Herald reports that Miami cornerback Glenn Sharpe has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Falcons. The 6' 185-pound cornerback had issues with injuries during his college career, suffering knee injuries that caused him to miss the 2004 and 2005 seasons. His best season came in 2006 as a junior, where he had 44 tackles and 2 interceptions, and led the Hurricanes with 14 pass deflections.

KFFL.com cites Josh Buchanan of NFL Draft Bible.com that the Falcons have signed Georgia defensive end/linebacker Brandon Miller. At 6'2" 252, Miller finished this past season with 35 tackles.

KFFL.com also cites agent Paul Sheehy of ProStar Sports Agency that they have added punter Jimmie Kaylor of Colorado State. The 6'3" 198-pound punter was on the Ray Guy Award watch list his senior year, averaging 43.2 yards on 52 punts, with 19 placed inside the 20-yard line.

MLive.com reports that Central Michigan linebacker Ike Brown has signed with the Falcons. Brown is listed at 5'11" 203 pounds, played running back, safety, and linebacker during his career with the Chippewas. He had 106 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks this past season.

Falcons round up draft with Zinger

With the Falcons final pick in the draft, the Falcons attempted to improve depth at tight end by taking LSU's Keith Zinger, who performed as a blocker mostly for the Tigers. He'll help alleviate the loss of Alge Crumpler and Dwayne Blakley in free agency this past year.

Falcons find Fontenot

The Falcons were able to continue to try and shore up their secondary by selecting cornerback Wilrey Fontenot out of a Arizona with the first of two seventh round picks. Fontenot is undersized cornerback, but productive with 40 tackles, 1 interception, and 7 pass breakups this past season.

The Falcons already selected LSU's Chevis Jackson earlier on Sunday, and together they will likely be asked to shore up depth immediately behind starters Chris Houston and Von Hutchins with the hope of possibly competing for more playing time down the road.

Falcon choose Thomas Brown

The Falcons shore up some running back depth with Thomas Brown with their sixth round selection. Brown, out of the University of Georgia, has battled injuries in his career, but was a productive player for the Bulldogs. He finished his career with 2,646 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. He'll get a chance to compete with Jason Snelling for a reserve running back position this summer.

Falcons snatch Biermann

The Falcons attempted to upgrade their pass rush by drafting Montana defensive end Kroy Biermann with their second fifth round pick.

Biermann, an undersized pass rusher is listed at 6'3" 246 pounds, but tallied 27 sacks, 32.5 tackles for loss, and 148 tackles the past two seasons at Montana. Due to his smaller stature, the Falcons might be thinking about moving him to linebacker. He won the Buck Buchanan Award this past year, given to the top player in FCS (formerly Division I-AA).

Falcons take James

The Falcons drafted Arizona State linebacker Robert James with their fifth round choice. James should add some depth at outside linebacker. He's a little undersized, listed at 219 pounds, but was productive for the Sun Devils last year, recording 106 tackles and 4 interceptions. He began his career as a defensive back, and might project there as well in the NFL due to his small stature.

Falcons get DeCoud

The Falcons finished their slate of three third round picks by taking California free safety Thomas DeCoud. DeCoud was considered one of the better safety prospects in this draft, and will provide needed depth at safety.

He only had 1 interception during his career at Cal which came last year, but he also tallied 116 tackles as a senior. The Falcons have modified their safety position this off-season, by signing Erik Coleman to start at free safety and letting Chris Crocker go. There are current rumors that backup safety Jimmy Williams may be on his way out due to his absence from the Falcons mini-camp last week.

Falcons draft Douglas

With their second third round pick, acquired from the Washington Redskins, the Falcons took Louisville wide receiver Harry Douglas. Douglas was the primary receiver for Brian Brohm at Louisville, catching 141 passes for 2,424 yards and 13 touchdowns the past two seasons.

The addition of Douglas could potentially push veterans Joe Horn or Brian Finneran off the roster.

Falcons nab Jackson

With their first pick in the third round, the Falcons took LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson. Jackson is expected to help fill some of the void left by DeAngelo Hall. He had 5 interceptions last season for LSU, an integral part of their championship team.

The Falcons have two more picks in the third round. One acquired from the Washington Redskins, and the third being a compensatory pick awarded by the NFL.

Falcons draft Lofton

With their second round pick, the No. 37 overall pick, the Falcons selected linebacker Currtis Lofton out of Oklahoma.

Lofton played middle linebacker for the Sooners, and could potentially play the same for the Falcons. The team is looking to groom a replacement and heir apparent to Keith Brooking in the middle. But Lofton may also work early on at weakside linebacker, where Stephen Nicholas is expected to be the starter.

Lofton registered 157 tackles and 3 interceptions last season in 14 games.

Falcons trade up for Baker

The Falcons traded up from the top of the second round with the Washington Redskins, to take USC offensive tackle Sam Baker with the 21st overall pick.  Baker is expected to play left tackle for the Falcons, which is vacant currently due to the release of Wayne Gandy. Baker protected quarterbacks such as John David Booty and Matt Leinart during his Trojan carerer, and now will be tasked with protecting the blindside of the Falcons top pick Matt Ryan.

UPDATE: The Falcons gave up two second round picks (No. 34 and 48 overall) and a fourth round pick (No. 103) to acquire the Redskins first (No. 21), third (No. 84), and fifth round picks (No. 154).

Falcons take Ryan

With the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

Ryan was the favored selection in a number of mock drafts around the internet for the past few months. The Falcons have a need for quarterback due to the incarceration of Michael Vick and the lack of a bonafide long-term solution on the roster. Despite having meager representation at Matt Ryan's pro day in March, it would seem the Falcons have targeted him all along. The Falcons conducted a private workout with Ryan in the following weeks and came away impressed.

Tracking the Falcons Draft Interest

Using various sources including but not limited to NFL.com, Scout.com, New Era Scouting, Football.com, KFFL.com, NFL Draft Countdown, and various local newspapers covering schools and individual prospects, we have compiled a list of prospects that the Falcons have worked out, interviewed, or reportedly shown mild interest in.

Private Workouts
Each NFL team is limited by the number of official visits it can have with draft prospects. Here is a list of players that according to various sources have been visited by the Falcons or have visited the Falcons for such. Dates if specified are included in parentheses:

QB John David Booty, USC
QB Brian Brohm, Louisville
QB Joe Flacco, Delaware (Mar. 28)
QB Chad Henne, Michigan
QB Josh Johnson, San Diego
QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
QB Andre Woodson, Kentucky
RB Jamar Brittingham, Bloomsburg
RB Jamaal Charles, Texas (Apr. 8-9)
RB Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech
RB Matt Forte, Tulane (Mar. 17)
RB Chris Johnson, East Carolina (Apr. 11)
RB Kalvin McRae, Ohio (Apr. 10)
RB Ray Rice, Rutgers
FB Mike Cox, Georgia Tech (Apr. 10)
WR Adrian Arrington, Michigan (Mar. 28)
WR Eddie Royal, Virginia Tech
WR Mario Urrutia, Louisville
TE Scott Kuhn, Louisville
TE Martin Rucker, Missouri (Mar. 28)
TE Craig Stevens, California
OT Nate Garner, Arkansas (Apr. 16-17)
OT Jake Long, Michigan (Mar. 27)
OT Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh (Apr. 16)
OT Jeremy Zuttah, Rutgers
DE Lawrence Jackson, USC
DE Kendall Langford, Hampton
DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU
LB Cliff Avril, Purdue
LB Dan Connor, Penn State
LB Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma
LB Brandon Miller, Georgia (Apr. 8)
CB Charles Godfrey, Iowa
CB Leodis McKelvin, Troy State (Apr. 10-12)
CB Aqib Talib, Kansas
CB Terrell Thomas, USC
CB Jack Williams, Kent State
S Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State (Apr. 14)

Reportedly Interested in:
Some of these players were among many the Falcons spoke with at either the Senior Bowl or the Combine, or have been players that the Falcons have been on hand to see at their pro days. It's quite possible that many of these players have also worked out privately for the Falcons, but that has yet to be confirmed. If so, they will be moved to the above list accordingly.

QB Erik Ainge, Tennessee
QB Colt Brennan, Hawaii
QB Dennis Dixon, Oregon
QB Paul Smith, Tulane
RB Thomas Brown, Georgia
RB Justin Forsett, California
RB Rafael Little, Kentucky
RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas
RB Dantrell Savage, Oklahoma State
RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia
RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
RB Chauncey Washington, USC
FB Owen Schmitt, West Virginia
WR Adarius Bowman, Oklahoma State
WR Harry Douglas, Louisville
WR James Hardy, Indiana
WR Andrew Hawkins, Toledo
WR Dexter Jackson, Appalachian State
WR Darius Reynaud, West Virginia
TE Gary Barnidge, Louisville
TE Brad Cottam, Tennessee
TE Fred Davis, USC
TE Matt Mulligan, Maine
TE Jacob Tamme, Kentucky
OT Mike Butterworth, Slippery Rock
OT Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
OT Anthony Collins, Kansas
OT Carlton Medder, Florida
OT Chad Rinehart, Northern Iowa
OT Barry Richardson, Clemson
OT Chris Williams, Vanderbilt
OC John Sullivan, Notre Dame
DE Johnny Dingle, West Virginia
DE Chris Ellis, Virginia Tech
DE Greyson Gunheim, Washington
DE Bryan Mattison, Iowa
DE Hilee Taylor, North Carolina
DT Dre Moore, Maryland
DT Carlton Powell, Virginia Tech
DT DeMario Pressley, N.C. State
DT Pat Sims, Auburn
DT Lorenzo Williams, Missouri
LB John Lee, Charleston Southern
LB Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky
CB Dwight Lowery, San Jose State
S Josh Barrett, Arizona State
S Thomas DeCoud, California
S Brad Mueller, Slippery Rock
S Tom Zbikowski, Notre Dame
K Brandon Coutu, Georgia

Ex-Falcon under federal steroids investigation

Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that former Falcon offensive linemen Matt Lehr is under investigation for allegedly distrubuting performance-enhancing drugs. Lehr was last with the Falcons in 2006. According to Schmidt's report, one unidentified player that currently plays on the Falcons has been subpoenaed to testify in front of the grand jury in Texas.

During 2006, Lehr was suspended four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy, in relation to steroid use.

Lehr comes under investigation due to the guilty plea of David Jacobs, a personal trainer from Plano, TX this past November. Jacobs pleaded guilty to federal charges that he manufactured steroids in his home from raw materials imported from China and then distributed them through his connections as a trainer. Reportedly, Jacobs ran one of the largest steroid distribution networks in the Southwest. Jacobs indicated that he had close ties with certain members of both the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys. According to the Dallas Morning News, Lehr met Jacobs in the fall of 2006 which would coincide with his suspension.

Lehr's lawyer indicates that he expects the charges to be dropped due to faulty information provided by Jacobs, and that Lehr has been fingered because of his refusal to pay Jacobs's legal fees.

"We are confident that the more the feds look at Jacobs, the less credible of a source of information he becomes."

-- Paul Coggins, Lehr's attorney

Troy's McKelvin will get a look

Ed Thompson of Scout.com reports that Troy State cornerback Leodis McKelvin will visit the Falcons for three days later this week. According to the report, McKelvin will first arrive in Atlanta on Thursday evening, tour the Falcons facilities on Friday, and wrap up his visit with a workout on Saturday.

It will be part of a busy two weeks for McKelvin, who will work out with 8 other teams over the course of 12 days, beginning with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, April 7, and wrapping up with the Tennessee Titans on Friday, April 18. Per Thompson, he will also workout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Dallas Cowboys.

McKelvin is considered one of the top cornerbacks in this year's draft class. He is ranked as the top cornerback at NFLDraftCountdown.com as well as the rankings of NFL.com's Mike Mayock. McKelvin measured 5'10" and 190 pounds at the Combine and was clocked with a 4.38 40-yard dash time. McKelvin finished his career at Troy with only 4 interceptions, but broke up 22 passes. He really shined as a return threat, scoring 7 touchdowns and averaging 13.1 yards per return on punts, with 1 score and a 23.7 average on 99 kickoffs.

While it's highly doubtful the Falcons are considering McKelvin with the No. 3 overall pick, in the chance they trade back a few spots at the top of the first round, he would likely be on their radar. The Falcons are likely looking to bolster the cornerback position in the draft following the trade of DeAngelo Hall.