Falcons sign former Bears DT to practice squad, cut UDFA standout

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Falcons sign former Bears DT to practice squad, cut UDFA standout

Falcons sign former Bears DT to practice squad, cut UDFA standout

Matt Urben, Falcons Wire · Falcons Wire

Wed, Sep 9, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The Atlanta Falcons signed defensive tackle Zacch Pickens to their practice squad and released defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr. in a corresponding move on Wednesday. Pickens worked out for the team on Tuesday and now reunites with Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham in Atlanta.

The former South Carolina standout was selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman spent his first two seasons in Chicago before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025.

The 26-year-old has appeared in 29 career games over three NFL seasons with the Bears and Chiefs. Pickens has recorded 44 tackles (20 solo), 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and four QB hits since entering the league in 2023.

Allen, an undrafted free agent out of Houston who signed with the Falcons following the 2026 NFL Draft, was one of the standout rookie performers during training camp. We thought Allen had a pretty good chance of making the roster, but now he'll have to look for work elsewhere.

Check out the Falcons' updated practice squad and 53-man roster entering NFL Week 1 below.

Falcons practice squad signings (16 official)

WR Vinny Anthony (86)
DT Carlos Allen Jr. (79)
OL Kam Dewberry (61)
WR Dylan Drummond (80)
RB Tyler Goodson (25)
DB Darnay Holmes (30)
OT Riley Mahlman (76)
OL James Brockermeyer (66)
TE Nick Muse (87)
RB Cash Jones (32)
TE Jack Velling (84)
WR Antwane Wells (82)
OL Josh Thompson (67)
DL Zach Harrison (96)
DB Jammie Robinson (34)
DL Zacch Pickens (93)

Quarterbacks (4)

Michael Penix Jr . (9)
Tua Tagovailoa (1)
Cooper Rush (13)
Jack Strand(18)

Running Backs (2)

Bijan Robinson (7)
Brian Robinson Jr. (15)

Wide Receivers (5)

Drake London (5)
Jahan Dotson (4)
Olamide Zaccheaus (14)
Zachariah Branch(17)
Chris Blair (19)

Tight Ends (3)

Offensive Linemen (10)

Jake Matthews (70)
Matthew Bergeron (65)
Ryan Neuzil (64)
Chris Lindstrom (63)
Jawaan Taylor (71)
Michael Jerrell (72)
Ethan Onianwa(75)
Kyle Hinton (68)
Corey Levin (62)
Cameron Williams (73)

Defensive Linemen (8)

Gervon Dexter (95)
Brandon Dorlus (54)
Maason Smith (92)
Samson Ebukam (52)
Da'Shawn Hand (90)
LaCale London (94)
Za'Darius Smith (55)
Cameron Thomas (99)

Linebackers (7)

Divine Deablo (0)
Kendal Daniels(53)
Harold Perkins Jr.(56)
Christian Harris (45)
LB Josh Woods (42)
LB Yasir Abdullah (22)
LB Jared Ivey (51)

Defensive Backs (11)

A.J. Terrell (24)
Avieon Terrell(12)
Mike Hughes (21)
Billy Bowman Jr. (33)
C.J. Henderson (26)
Mike Ford Jr. (28)
Malcolm DeWalt(36)
Jessie Bates III (3)
Xavier Watts (31)
DeMarcco Hellams (23)
Sydney Brown (29)

Special Teams (3)

LS: Liam McCullough (49)
K: Nick Folk (6)
P: Jake Bailey (16)

Reserve Lists

EDGE James Pearce Jr. (suspended)
WR Beaux Collins (Reserve/Injured) DTR
OT Storm Norton (Reserve/PUP)
LB DeAngelo Malone (Reserve/PUP)
DE Keshawn Banks (Reserve/Injured)
LB JD Bertrand (Reserve/Injured)
LB Jalon Walker (Reserve/Injured)
RB Trey Sermon (Reserve/Injured)
DT Anterio Thompson (Reserve/NFI)

The Falcons also waived defensive back Darren Hall from the injured reserve list on Tuesday. Atlanta will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Sunday's season opener. The game starts at 1 p.m. ET.