Falcons Mayfield Among 4 Roster Cuts

The Atlanta Falcons are entering the time of the year when they and the rest of the NFL's teams must get down to the 53-man roster. The deadline to do so is Tuesday ... but on Saturday some decisions are already being made.

Notable among those: Atlanta has decided to move on from offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield.

Multiple reports have it that Mayfield, defensive linemen Justin Ellis and Delontae Scott, and cornerback Bless Austin are the early cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

Mayfield was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft after making a good impression on scouts as a tackle at the University of Michigan.

In 2021 the former Wolverine was thrust into Atlanta's starting role at left guard following an injury to Josh Andrews, who was expected to start.

He started 16 games for the Falcons at left guard, but to many, Mayfield wasn't ready for such a large role, and it showed, if you believe his lowly 48.7 player grade from Pro Football Focus.

Unfortunately for Mayfield, 2022 didn't go any better. He missed the entire season due to a back injury, and in his absence, the team's offensive line established itself as muscling its way to being one of the NFL's better units. 

Finally, the straw that may have broken the back of Mayfield's Atlanta tenure is the Falcons' selection of Matthew Bergeron in the second round of this year's draft. 

"Bust'' is a cruel word. But the bottom line is that the Atlanta O-line has gotten better ... and the team has decided that Mayfield has not.