The Falcons believed they solved their kicking woes before they cut their roster to 52 players before the NFL deadline Saturday.
The team agreed to terms with kicker Matt Bryant for one-year, $3 million deal, waived kicker Giorgio Tavecchio and released former Georgia standout Blair Walsh.
The Bryant transaction will not clear the league office until Monday. Once Bryant’s deal clears, the Falcons will be at the 53-man maximum.
The Falcons, who are hoping to rebound from a 7-9 season, are set to open the season, the 100th in league history, at the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. Sept. 8.
“That’s the plan,” Bryant wrote in a text to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when asked whether he came back to chase a Super Bowl ring.
Bryant, who was released by the Falcons in February, essentially got three months off and a slight raise.
Tavecchio missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt, and Walsh made a 46-yard attempt in the Falcons 31-12 victory over Jacksonville in the exhibition season finale Thursday.
Tavecchio has missed 5 of 8 field-goal attempts this exhibition season, with misses from 54, 53, 52, 52 and 39 yards. His misses foiled the Falcons’ plan to get younger and cheaper at the position. He was set to make $645,000 this season.
Walsh, who made only 5 of 9 kicks in practice Tuesday, was out of football in 2018. However, he was a Pro Bowl and All-Pro kicker as a rookie in 2012.
Bryant, who turned 44 in May, was the Falcons’ kicker for the past 10 years.
The initial release of Bryant created $2.8 million in cap space for the Falcons. Before his release, Bryant was set to make $2.45 million this season.
In 10 seasons with the Falcons, Bryant made 250 of 282 field-goal attempts. Over his 17-year career, Bryant has made 388 of 450 field-goal attempts.
The most memorable field goal in Bryant’s tenure with the Falcons might be the 49-yarder that gave the Falcons a 30-28 victory over Seattle in the divisional round of the 2012 playoffs. It was the Falcons’ first playoff win since 2004.
