On Tuesday, the Atlanta Falcons continued their slew of roster moves.
The Falcons announced they have released former first-round pick Germain Ifedi.
The team also announced they have added quarterback and former New York Yankees outfielder Austin Aune, along with defensive lineman LaCale London, defensive back Lukas Denis and offensive lineman Barry Wesley.
Ifedi spent the 2022 season with the Falcons, mostly playing on special teams. He dressed for all 17 games but appeared on the field for just 8 offensive snaps.
On special teams, Ifedi played 72 snaps.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Ifedi at No. 31 overall in the 2016 NFL draft. He started four seasons for the Seahawks before joining the Chicago Bears in free agency. The Seahawks declined Ifedi’s fifth-year option.
With the Bears in 2020, Ifedi started all 16 games. He played in nine contests, starting seven of them during 2021.
The Falcons allowed Ifedi to test free agency before re-signing him in March. But he didn’t last two months back on the roster.
General manager Terry Fontenot has made a lot of moves over the last few days, so there wasn’t an obvious replacement for Ifedi’s roster spot. But one of the players Atlanta signed Tuesday is a former Yankees minor league outfielder and North Texas quarterback.
Aune played in 37 games for the Mean Green from 2019-22. He threw for 7,324 yards and 56 touchdowns with 28 interceptions. He averaged 8.2 yards per pass.
Aune was an undrafted free agent last year, but at 29, he’s older than the average second-year quarterback. That’s because he spent six seasons in the Yankees farm system from 2012-17.
He batted .273 with a .768 OPS in rookie ball at 18 years old, but Aune never progressed past the High-A level in the minor leagues.
Reports that the Falcons signed Denis and Wesley surfaced Monday. Both played in the XFL this past season.
London has appeared in one NFL game. That came during the 2021 season with the Bears.
