Tag: roster news

Falcons OL Matt Gono signs second-round tender

When you’re in as bad of salary cap shape as the Atlanta Falcons, every dollar must be accounted for.

When you’re in as bad of salary cap shape as the Atlanta Falcons, every dollar must be accounted for. That’s the reason for the team’s frugal spending over the first wave of free agency.

Not only have the Falcons been shopping in the bargain bin, they’ve been forced to part with multiple starters from last season. One of the minor moves Atlanta made was applying a second-round tender to restricted free agent Matt Gono, who’s served as a swing tackle and backup guard for the team over the past few years.

On Thursday, the Falcons announced that Gono signed his second-round tender, which pays him $3.3 million and keeps him in Atlanta for another year at least.

Gono, 24, has played in 21 games (four starts) since signing in Atlanta as an undrafted free agent out of Wesley College in 2018. With veteran left guard James Carpenter out of the picture after the team released him last month, Gono could potentially end up starting next season.

His role in 2021 likely depends on what the Falcons do over the remainder of free agency and in the upcoming NFL draft. 

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Falcons agree to terms with LB LaRoy Reynolds

Reynolds played 15 games last year for the Cincinnati Bengals after spending the 2018 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Atlanta Falcons are bringing back a familiar face to help on defense, agreeing to terms with linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, the team announced on Tuesday:

Reynolds played 15 games last year for the Cincinnati Bengals after spending the 2018 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for Atlanta from 2016-2017, recording 45 total tackles as a backup middle linebacker and special teams contributor.

With De’Vondre Campbell leaving for the Arizona Cardinals, the Falcons could use extra depth at the linebacker position and Reynolds is familiar with Dan Quinn’s defense.

Expect Atlanta to add another player or two in the draft or free agency to replace Campbell, the team’s leading tackler last year.

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Younghoe Koo thanks Falcons for taking a chance on him

At 1-7 with nothing to lose, the Atlanta Falcons made a tough call to release veteran kicker Matt Bryant during the bye week and replace him with little-known Younghoe Koo.

At 1-7 with nothing to lose, the Atlanta Falcons made a surprising decision to release veteran kicker Matt Bryant during the bye week and replace him with little-known Younghoe Koo.

In eight games, the 25-year-old journeyman who hadn’t kicked in an NFL game in two years quickly validated the move. Koo made 23 of 26 field goals and 15 of 16 extra points. Earlier today, the Falcons announced they had given Koo a one-year extension, along with punter Ryan Allen.

Following the announcement, Koo was quick to thank the organization on Twitter for “taking a chance” on him last year:

What initially seemed like an unlikely outcome due to Koo being an unknown commodity and replacing a fan favorite in Bryant, the young kicker made the most of his chance, while wearing Michael Vick‘s infamous No. 7 jersey.

It was expected that Atlanta would retain Koo, although the team has also said it intends to add competition at the position in the offseason. Still, bringing back the kicker with by far the most highlights in the NFL last season was essentially a no-brainer for the Falcons.

We’ll leave you with a couple of Koo’s best plays from 2019:

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Falcons give K Younghoe Koo, P Ryan Allen one-year extensions

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have given one-year extensions to punter Ryan Allen and kicker Younghoe Koo.

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have given one-year extensions to punter Ryan Allen and kicker Younghoe Koo.

The team already announced that it intended to retain Koo, who did an outstanding job taking over for a struggling Matt Bryant after the bye week. In eight games, Koo made 23 of 26 field goal attempts, while making 15 of 16 extra points.

He doesn’t have the strongest leg, but the 25-year-old Koo was consistent and also showed an impressive ability to place onside kicks.

Allen, who also played in eight games last season, averaged 41.9 yards per punt with 14 of his 28 attempts landing inside the 20 yard line. Just 29 years old — which is basically 20 in punter years — Allen showed enough to replace an injury-prone Matt Bosher in 2020.

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