Atlanta, GA
4 surprise cut candidates for the Atlanta Falcons
It’s never fun predicting job losses, but not everyone can make the team.
The first task for this new Atlanta Falcons staff is ensuring they have the right guys in the building to hit the ground running. Making these decisions will be challenging, and sometimes fans can be caught off guard by the names they see hitting the waiver wire.
Here’s my attempt at lessening those future blows by looking at which players could be surprise cut candidates for the team in 2024.
Avery Williams, Kick and Punt Returner/Running Back
Many are excited for the returner’s comeback, and rightfully so. When we last saw Avery Williams, he led the NFL with 16.2 yards per punt return (minimum 15 attempts). However, Williams is coming off an ACL injury that kept him sidelined for the entirety of the 2023 season.
We’re all hoping he can come back 100%, but there’s no guarantee the player will be able to return to their previous level of athleticism. The Falcons haven’t been complacent with the return positions either, signing two capable return men in Ray-Ray McCloud and Rondale Moore.
The new kickoff rules have made returners more valuable, and Williams is currently in line for both a kickoff and punt return role, but he will have to show that he’s worth filling up a roster spot for those 5-8 plays per game. With Zac Robinson already talking about making Bijan Robinson the offense’s focal point and Tyler Allgeier firmly holding down the spot behind, opportunities in the backfield will be slim or nonexistent for Williams.
Cutting Williams would save the team $1,055,000, an amount that doesn’t make him a financial liability by any means if he has a small role, but is a nice chunk of change that could go elsewhere.
KhaDarel Hodge, Wide Receiver/Special Teams Ace
Another surprise cut that would impact special teams would be KhaDarel Hodge. The Prairie View A&M alum has been the Falcons fourth or fifth receiver for a few years now, but he makes his most significant contribution on special teams, where he has been a stud.
If Hodge wants to secure his roster spot for the third year in a row, he’ll have to continue his high level of play there. The wide receiver room isn’t a finished product, but with some added speed (Rondale Moore) and youth (Casey Washington), the deeper spots on this roster will take more work to earn than they have in years past.
Atlanta did elect to bring Hodge back, a sign that the team still likes what he has to offer, but that deal only contained a guaranteed signing bonus of $167,500, allowing the team to cut the player and gain $985,000 in cap space. That’s a small figure by league standards, but the structure shows that the Falcons are in no way on the hook financially if they decide it’s time to move on because other players emerge.
Ta’Quon Graham, Interior Defensive Lineman
The defensive line room is more crowded than ever, setting it up to be one of the more active groups when it comes time to trim down the roster. Ta’Quon Graham hopes to be one of those who doesn’t hear his name called during that time, but there is a chance he could be on the list. Graham no longer has the benefit of being a rookie; every snap in practice will count as he looks to crack a competitive rotation.
Nearly half of the Falcons 2021 draft class is gone, and Graham will have to impress a new defensive staff if he hopes to avoid the fate of his former peers. Graham was serviceable in 2023 after returning from an MCL injury that ended his 2022 season prematurely, but growth is a must for a player who needs to be more than serviceable in 2024. Cutting Graham would save $1,055,000, which, as we mentioned earlier, could come in handy down the road for the team.
Lorenzo Carter, Outside Linebacker
Lorenzo Carter would easily be the biggest surprise cut out of all the names here, and that’s because the outside linebacker room is easily one of the weakest groups on the roster. However, this is the “surprise cuts” list, and there is at least a small and narrow path to this being a realistic outcome. That outcome relies on others in the room stepping up and exceeding expectations, which would be welcomed with open arms by the team and fans alike.
This would mean players like Bralen Trice, DeAngelo Malone, and Bradlee Anae all stepped up during camp and showed the staff they can’t afford to sit them for Carter, a player who is a known quantity for the Falcons. Unlike the others mentioned on this list, there are some considerable savings of $3.75 million if the team moves on from Carter. That is an amount high enough to sign most remaining free agents that could make an impact for the team *cough* Ahkello Witherspoon *cough*.
Don’t fret over any of the names you see listed here, as the expectation is that all of them will make the team. However, football is unpredictable; every season, one or two names on the list of cuts always serve to catch fans by surprise.
Remember, these cuts primarily reflect that the Falcons improved considerably over the offseason, something every fan hopes happens. So trust the process, and give this staff a fair shake before criticizing any of the moves that occur throughout training camp.
Atlanta, GA
SF Giants lose pitching coach Martinez, but Tingler reportedly set to join staff
Tony Vitello will be tasked with finding a new pitching coach after J.P. Martinez elected to leave the Giants and join the Atlanta Braves as the team’s bullpen coach.
Martinez, 43, spent just one season as San Francisco’s pitching coach after Bryan Price stepped down after the 2024 season. Price, too, only spent one year as pitching coach under former manager Bob Melvin.
Prior to becoming the pitching coach, Martinez spent four seasons as San Francisco’s assistant pitching coach. In 2025, the Giants finished 10th in ERA in the majors and sent three pitchers — Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Randy Rodríguez — to the All-Star Game. Martinez was also one of the Giants’ few coaches who also spoke Spanish, another being assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard.
While Martinez is departing the organization, Jayce Tingler will reportedly be joining Vitello’s coaching staff, likely as a bench coach. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news, which has not been announced by the Giants.
Vitello and Tingler were teammates at Missouri, and Tingler’s experience at the major-league level should be invaluable as Vitello navigates his first professional season. Along with managing the San Diego Padres for two seasons, Tingler has been a coach for both the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. Tingler is also bilingual and has experience coaching in the Dominican Republic.
Martinez, who was under contract for next season, is not the only departure from last year’s coaching staff, as bench coach Ryan Christenson and third-base coach Matt Williams will not return for the 2026 season. On Wednesday, the Athletics announced that Christenson would become the team’s first-base coach.
Following Martinez’s departure, Vitello will have to decide if he wants to look internally or externally to fill the vacancy. One strong internal option is Garvin Alston, who has been the team’s bullpen coach for the last two seasons and been with the organization since 2020.
Alston has two decades of professional coaching experience dating back to his time with the Oakland A’s, serving as the Minnesota Twins’ pitching coach for one season in 2018. Alston has also served as the bullpen coach at the major-league level for the Arizona Diamondbacks (’16) and A’s (’17).
Atlanta, GA
Nonprofit bringing injured Palestinian children to metro Atlanta halted by new refugee policies
The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States from 125,000 to 7,500 — mostly white South Africans.
It’s a dramatic drop that changes America’s traditional role as a haven for people fleeing war and persecution.
The decision is affecting Palestinian families from the Gaza Strip, including one that recently traveled to metro Atlanta to care for a 12-year-old boy who lost his legs during the Israel-Hamas war. Heal Palestine, the nonprofit that’s helping the boy, asked CBS News Atlanta not to use the family’s last name due to safety concerns.
After almost two years of waiting for permission to travel to the United States for emergency medical treatment, Yassin and his family received a warm welcome over the summer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“I look and see them and say, ‘I’m good,” Fadwa says.
The mother and son traveled from the Gaza Strip to Atlanta with the help of Heal Palestine, which was founded in 2024 to deliver urgent relief to Palestinian children and families.
“He had surgery here in Atlanta with good doctors and good teams, and now he have therapy,” Fadwa said.
Heal Palestine Atlanta volunteer Ghada Elnajjar said that Yassin was hit by an air strike and lost both legs, which had been amputated without anesthesia.
“When a family like Fadwa’s is evacuated and a child like Yassin is seeking help in the United States, there are communities that come together and help support the child,” Elnajjar said.
The U.S. organization is helping 63 Palestinian children across the country. Several, including Yassin, are in metro Atlanta.
“We take the child, treat them medically and mentally, so we provide mental health wellness, and continue to provide their education through online resources,” Elnajjar said.
The family lived in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza that saw heavy shelling during the Israel-Hamas war.
Fadwa says she worked as a quantum physicist before coming to America.
“I lose my husband, I lose my house,” she said.
“As a mother, this is so difficult for Fadwa, having to be torn between finding treatment for her 12-year-old and leaving behind part of her heart in Gaza,” Elnajjar said.
Yassin, his brother, and two of his sisters are living in Alpharetta with their mother while he receives physical therapy and treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. His older brother and sister are still in Gaza, unable to travel to the United States because of visa restrictions.
“I’m cooking Palestinian food. I’m talking about Palestine. That’s my country. And if the war destroys everything, I still love this country,” Fadwa said.
A home she loves and hopes to return to once Yassin heals.
Heal Palestine also provides food, water, and supplies for people who are still living in the Gaza Strip and are still working to evacuate more injured children.
You can learn more about the organization here.
Atlanta, GA
First Alert Forecast: Sunny, warm Thursday with isolated weekend rain ahead
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Temperatures will remain well above average through most of the weekend. The first FREEZE is expected early next week.
This morning is starting clear but not quite as chilly as previous mornings. Temperatures will once again climb quickly once the sun rises, reaching the 70s after lunch.
Friday will be yet another warm and mostly dry day with highs in the 70s. Isolated showers could move in after sunset, but we’ll also be watching for some late rain/storms pushing into north Georgia after midnight into early Saturday.
Scattered, on/off rain will be possible for the rest of Saturday into Sunday. Behind Sunday’s front, substantially colder air arrives Monday morning with sub-freezing wind chills expected. The coldest morning will be Tuesday.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
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