Falcons Sign 'Competitive' Rookie Natrone Brooks to Practice Squad

The Atlanta Falcons have signed cornerback Natrone Brooks to the practice squad after waiving him during the last round of cuts.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 30, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have reunited with cornerback Natrone Brooks.

Just one day after announcing that Brooks was a part of the final wave of roster cuts en route from going 90 players down to 53, Atlanta has added the undrafted rookie to its practice squad.

Brooks, 23, had an impressive training camp and starred during the preseason; in the finale, he recorded five tackles and displayed his competitive edge, something Falcons coach Arthur Smith is quite find of.

“He's one of the more competitive players I've coached," Smith said. "He's got an instinct for the football. A guy like him, you want to see what it looks like against three guys of their starting receivers. Going to have to see those on the far side. The one that [George] Pickens caught, that's an NFL play. You guys probably had a better view. I saw a review up there, making sure he was in so I don't have to challenge it. You want to see him compete. Competitive, a lot of instinct.”

Brooks may not be equipped to play against top receivers like Pickens ... that's a job for someone like A.J. Terrell, who didn't play after Smith sat his starters. However, throwing out the fringe roster players against the Steelers first-team really exposes how competitive the backend of the roster can be ... and Brooks is proof of that.

As an undrafted free agent, it was always an uphill battle for Brooks to make the active roster - however, his competitive edge and instincts impressed the Falcons enough to stick around at the sport's highest level, and he may still get a chance to play on Sundays as a practice squad elevation.

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Published Aug 30, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.