The Atlanta Falcons made several roster changes on Monday afternoon, swapping out a couple of offensive linemen and linebackers while clearing a spot on injured reserve.
They have signed linebacker Rashaan Evans and offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to their practice squad, releasing linebacker Monty Rice and offensive tackle Coy Cronk in the process.
Inside linebacker Milo Eifler, who has been on injured reserve since August 29 due to an undisclosed injury, was also released.
Evans, a first-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2018, is familiar to the Falcons, having started all 17 games for the team in 2022. During that season, he led the team with 159 tackles, along with six tackles for loss and two sacks.
This marks Evans’ second stint on the practice squad; he initially joined the Falcons on September 30 but was released on October 12. He returns now to provide depth behind active linebackers Kaden Elliss, Nate Landman, Troy Andersen, and rookie JD Bertrand.
Wheatley, on the other hand, is new to Atlanta. After starting his college career at Michigan and finishing at Stony Brook University, he went undrafted in 2019. Wheatley, who is 6′ 6″ and 320 pounds, made his professional football debut in 2021 with the Blues of the Spring League before joining the Chicago Bears, who used him on their practice squad during the 2021 season.
He then had a similar experience with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and had a short summer stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. In late August 2023, he was traded to the New England Patriots, appearing in two special teams games before being placed on injured reserve on October 14. Though his 21-day window to return opened in December, he never made it back to the field.
Wheatley was cut loose by the Patriots in early August and was a free agent until Monday, when he was signed by the Falcons.
The Falcons are set to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.