The Atlanta Falcons reportedly made their first roster move of many to come on Tuesday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted that the Falcons are waiving full back Clint Ratkovich.
Ratkovich played well in the preseason, but there isn’t room for more than one full back on a modern NFL roster. More than likely, veteran full back Keith Smith will be on the 53-man roster.
The Falcons signed Ratkovich to their practice squad late in the 2022 season. Then after the season, the Falcons signed him to a future/reserve contract.
READ MORE: Countdown to 53 – Atlanta Falcons Cuts and Roster Tracker
According to Pro Football Focus, Ratkovich was the top player on Atlanta’s offense during the team’s three preseason game. He earned a player grade of 83.1 out of 100 from PFF. Ratkovich scored a grade of 77.5 or better in both run and pass blocking.
But with Smith, the Falcons are presumably sticking with a full back who has been in the league since 2014.
He joined the Falcons in 2019 and hasn’t missed a game. Smith has remained a mainstay for Atlanta under head coach Arthur Smith. Last season, Smith played a career-high 259 snaps on offense.
Ratkovich began his college career at Western Illinois, where he made first-team All-Missouri Valley twice in 2018 and 2019. He then transferred to Northern Illinois.
At Northern Illinois during the 2021 season, Ratkovich ran for 461 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He also had 15 receptions for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Tuesday is the NFL’s roster cutdown day. All rosters must be cut to 53 players by 4 pm ET.
