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The Falcons have signed 27-year old safety Matt Giordano. Giordano played in 5 games with the Packers last season in which he made 2 tackles. Giordano has now played in 60 games in his NFL career in which he has made 82 tackles, defensed 8 passes and he has 3 interceptions (1 returned for a TD). Giordano will help with the depth at safety for the Falcons this season and he will help out on special teams too.
The Falcons have signed 27-year old cornerback Dunta Robinson to a 6-year deal. Robinson played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he made 64 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, forced 1 fumble and he defensed 9 passes. Robinson has now played in 84 games in his NFL career in which he has made 394 tackles, defensed 63 passes, forced 6 fumbles, has 4 sacks and he has intercepted 13 passes (one he returned for a TD). Robinson will be huge upgrade for the Falcons in 2010 and beyond as their secondary was pretty darn weak in 2009.
The Falcons have signed 24-year old kicker Steven Hauschka. Hauschka played in 9 games for the Falcons earlier this season and he made 9 of 13 field goals (69.2%) and 27 of 28 extra points good for 54 points. The Falcons signed Hauschka because Matt Bryant might not be ready to go due to injury tomorrow against his old team, the Buccaneers.
The Falcons have signed 33-year old long snapper Joe Zelenka to a 1-year deal. Zelenka played in all 16 games for the Jaguars in 2008. He has now played in 157 games in his 10-year NFL career making a pretty solid living out of snapping the football on kicks and punts. This is likely a nice little upgrade for the Falcons.
The Falcons have signed 34-year old kicker Matt Bryant to a 1-year deal. Bryant played in all 16 games for the Bucs last season and he made 32 of 38 field goals (84.2%) and 35 of 36 extra points which was good for 131 points. Bryant has now played in 94 games in his NFL career and he has made 138 of 168 field goals (82.1%) and 181 of 185 extra points for 595 points. This was a good signing for the Falcons as Bryant would have been on a team a while ago if he weren’t kicking for the Orlando Tuskers of the UFL this season.
The Falcons have signed 33-year old veteran running back Aaron Stecker. With Jason Snelling elevated to #2 on the depth chart with Jerious Norwood out for a while the Falcons had a need for another running back and that’s where Stecker fits in. Stecker played in 6 games for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 8 times for 43 yards (5.4 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 52 yards (5.8 avg) with 1 TD grab. Stecker has now played in 120 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 381 times for 1,511 yards (4.0 ypc) with 8 TD runs. He has also caught 161 passes for 1,141 yards (7.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career. If the Falcons get in a bind on special teams Stecker has returned quite a few kicks in his NFL career. Stecker has returned 167 kickoffs for 3,880 yards (23.2 avg) with 1 TD in his career. This was a good signing for the Falcons.
The Falcons have signed 26-year old safety Jamaal Fudge. Fudge played in 11 games for the Falcons last season and he made 13 tackles. He has now played in 3 seasons in the NFL appearing in 31 games in which he has made 26 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. Injuries have caused the Falcons to start looking for help in the defensive backfield and that is why they decided to bring back Fudge.
The Falcons have signed 29-year old WR Robert Ferguson to a 1-year deal. Ferguson played in 8 games for the Vikings last season and he caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg). He has now played in 82 games in his 7 year NFL career and he has caught 151 passes for 1,993 yards (13.2 avg) with 13 TD grabs. He has also returned 43 kickoffs for 973 yards (22.6 avg) during his career. The Falcons are hoping that Ferguson can fill in with Harry Douglas out for the season.
The Falcons have signed 33-year old center Jeremy Newberry to a 1-year deal. The 6’5″, 315 pound Newberry played in all 16 games (3 starts) for the Chargers last season. He has now played in 120 games (107 starts) in his 11-year NFL career which is winding down. Still, Newberry should provide nice depth on the interior of the offensive line for the Falcons this season and the price was right.
The Falcons have signed 30-year old RB Verron Haynes to a 1-year deal. Haynes did not play in the NFL last season. He has played in 61 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 174 times for 738 yards (4.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs. Haynes has also caught 58 passes for 429 yards (7.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career. Haynes will have a hard time making the Falcons’ opening day roster in 2009.