The Atlanta Falcons have cut defensive lineman Ade Ogundeji.
Ogundeji spent the entire 2023 season on injured reserve.
The team announced Thursday in a press release that Ogundeji would be removed from the team this offseason.
The 25-year-old was drafted in 2021 with the 182nd overall pick.
He played in 32 games for the Falcons, all in his first two seasons with the team.
Ogundeji began to find a role with the Falcons in his first two years, playing half of the team’s defensive snaps.
He started all 16 games he played in the 2022 season before missing all of the 2023 games.
The defensive lineman racked up 75 total tackles in his first two years but managed just three sacks.
He also produced one forced fumble and one pass deflection in his two years.
Missing all of 2023 put Ogundeji at risk of being cut, especially with the Falcons adding multiple defensive linemen late in the NFL Draft.
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They selected Clemson’s Ruke Orohoro in the second round and Oregon’s Brandon Dorlus in the fourth round.
The Falcons also took edge rusher Bralen Trice in the third round from Washington and Zion Logue from Georgia.
After these selections there was simply no room for Ogundeji after missing an entire season.
It’s possible he could return to the team via the practice squad, but another team will likely take a shot at the edge player.
The Falcons were expected to select a defensive player as their top draft pick, but instead went with the quarterback.
Atlanta selected Michael Penix Jr. 9th overall, something that surprised most NFL fans.
What made the pick especially strange was the fact that they signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason.
The Falcons gave Cousins a massive four-year, $180 million contract to play for them, but drafted his replacement weeks later.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story