Falcons Sign Chargers DE Joe Gaziano; What's His Role?

Joe Gaziano played 21 games over three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, he's joining the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 27, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are continuing to add to their pass rush.

The team announced Monday that it has signed former Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joe Gaziano.

Gaziano, 26, went undrafted during the 2020 NFL Draft, but found a home with the Chargers as a free agent. In the past three seasons, the former Northwestern product has shuffled between the practice squad and active roster.

Gaziano has played in 21 NFL games over the course of his three-year career, playing in 14 games in the 2021 campaign. Last season, Gaziano made just five appearances for the Chargers.

Now, Gaziano joins the Falcons, a team in need of depth at the defensive end position. Gaziano recorded his first NFL sack last season with the Chargers and could look to try and become part of the Atlanta pass rush this offseason.

The Falcons finished dead last in sacks in 2021 and made minimal improvement as the 31st-best team in the category in 2022.

While Gaziano may not be a huge difference-maker for the Falcons, he'll add support and depth to a unit that already features Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone. He'll compete alongside the incoming rookies and any other prospective free agents the team signs for one of the final roster spots.

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Published Mar 27, 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.