Falcons claim former Patriots OL Andrew Stueber, waive WR JaQuae Jackson

The Atlanta Falcons had gone a few days without a roster change, so you knew they had to be up to something. That something is an offensive lineman signing, a move prompted by the New England Patriots’ release of a player the Falcons were expected to monitor.

That player is Andrew Stueber, with the team announcing the waiver request Tuesday afternoon. The fact that they took him off waivers should tell you something, and any time offensive line coach and running game coordinator Dwayne Ledford gets the opportunity to work with a player, it seems certainly be a plus.

Why Stueber? A 2022 seventh-round pick out of Michigan, Stueber entered the league with intriguing size and strength, but questions surrounding his ability to handle NFL-caliber speed and craftsmanship. He’s built like a blocker and played there in college, but the Patriots played him as a backup at guard and blocker.

His limitations dropped him to the seventh round and an injury wiped out his 2022 season, and that, plus a one-season stint on New England’s practice squad, means he hasn’t yet seen an NFL game in the regular season. Joining an extremely populated offensive line group, Stueber has absolutely no guarantees, but Atlanta clearly believed he could add strength and versatility to the group for at least the rest of the summer. With one to two roster spots and a handful of practice squad spots likely up for grabs, Stueber may be worth keeping an eye on.

The addition means the Falcons have said goodbye to rookie wide receiver JaQuae Jackson. A talented player who got off to a fast start in rookie minicamp, Jackson faced a high chance of making this list given the team’s impressive number of receivers, but he’s probably done enough in his career college and his short stint in Atlanta to land a spot. somewhere else. We wish him good luck, wherever that may be.