Atlanta Falcons Announce Flurry Of Roster Moves Ahead of Week 1

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons are not done with their roster ahead of Sunday’s season opener with Tampa Bay. 

The team officially announced the signing of defensive lineman Sam Roberts to their active roster off the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad, but also a handful of other moves.

Roberts, 27, was a sixth-round pick in 2022 by the New England Patriots. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman spent two seasons with the Patriots before being waived last summer. He was later picked up by the Panthers, where he appeared in three games in 2024.

David Sills V was released from the active roster, but subsequently picked back up by the team on Saturday and added to the practice squad. In a corresponding move, defensive lineman Simeon Barrow Jr was then waived from the practice squad by the Falcons. 

Sills, a preseason standout for the Falcons, was a late riser along the roster bubble in August. He played primarily with the second and third-team offensive units and was a favorite target for veteran Kirk Cousins. He has been in the league since 2019 and signed with the Falcons last January after a season on the Broncos’ practice squad. 

The Falcons have also elevated Sills and running back Carlos Washington Jr. to the active roster from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay as their standard practice squad elevations. 

Barrow, who was added to the practice squad earlier this week, was an undrafted rookie out of Miami (FL), where he had at least three sacks in each of his four seasons in college, including 5.5 sacks as a senior. The training camp invitee played in all three preseason games, where he recorded a pair of tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble.

Sunday's game is set to kick off at 1:00 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.