Falcons claim former Patriots OL Andrew Stueber, waive WR JaQuae Jackson

The Atlanta Falcons had gone a few days without a roster move, so you knew they had to be up to something. That something is an offensive lineman signing, a move spurred by the New England Patriots releasing a player the Falcons must have been keeping an eye on.

That player is Andrew Stueber, with the team announcing the waiver claim on Tuesday afternoon. The fact that they snapped him up off of waivers should tell you something, and any time offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford has an opportunity to work with a player, it certainly feels like a plus.

Why Stueber? A seventh round pick back in 2022 out of Michigan, Stueber came into the league with intriguing size and strength but questions regarding his ability to handle NFL-caliber speed and savviness. He’s built like a tackle and played there in college, but the Patriots had him dabbling as a backup at guard and tackle.

His limitations saw him drop to the seventh round and an injury wiped out his 2022 season, and that plus a season-long stint on the New England practice squad means he hasn’t seen NFL game action yet in the regular season. Joining an extremely crowded offensive line group, Stueber is guaranteed absolutely nothing, but Atlanta clearly thought he could add strength and versatility to the group for at least the rest of the summer. With one-to-two roster spots and a handful of practice squad slots likely to be up for grabs, Stueber may be worth keeping an eye on.

The addition does mean the Falcons bid farewell to rookie wide receiver JaQuae Jackson. A talented player who got off to a fast start in rookie minicamp, Jackson was facing long odds to make this roster given the team’s eye-popping number of receivers, but likely did enough in his college career and short stint in Atlanta to land a spot elsewhere. We wish him well, wherever that may be.