Atlanta Falcons Begin Roster Cuts as Quarterback Is Waived

The Atlanta Falcons must trim their roster from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday’s 4:00 p.m. deadline. They won’t wait until the last minute to let every player know, and recently acquired quarterback Ben DiNucci announced via social media that he had been released. 

The Falcons signed quarterback Ben DiNucci on Monday. On Saturday, the quarterback broke the news himself that he had been cut via X. 

“I have been relieved of my duties in Atlanta,” DiNucci wrote on X. “They no longer need my services. Stay tuned. Career update coming this week ”

DiNucci was a good sport about his time in Atlanta, knowing ahead of time that he wasn’t long for the Falcons roster. He was signed last week as a replacement for Emory Jones, the Falcons’ fourth-string quarterback, after Jones had been injured last Friday against the Tennessee Titans.

The Falcons released Jones with an injury settlement and replaced him with DiNucci to help them get through the final week of their 90-man training camp. 

DiNucci played just two drives with the Falcons, in Atlanta’s final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, the team that drafted him in 2020. 

There would be no story-book ending for DiNucci in Atlanta. He finished the game on Friday, 0/2 passing with an interception.

The Falcons were never going to keep four quarterbacks on their roster. Jones was likewise a long shot to make even the practice squad. The only question going into Tuesday’s deadline is if third-team quarterback Easton Stick will be kept on the 53-man roster, or if the Falcons will hope they can sneak him through waivers and re-sign him to the practice squad on Wednesday.

The Falcons kept three quarterbacks last season: Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., and Taylor Heinicke. It would be a bit of an upset if Stick didn’t make the roster, knowing the Falcons would still entertain offers for Cousins.