FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Atlanta Falcons today placed wide receiver Laurent Robinson and cornerback David Irons on injured reserve, elevated safety Eric Brock from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and signed free agent tight end Marcus Pollard to the 53-man roster. The Falcons also signed cornerback Darius Vinnett and offensive lineman Michael Butterworth to the practice squad.
Irons suffered a knee injury during last Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay while Robinson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Brock, 6-0, 202 pounds, was originally signed by the Falcons as a free agent on May 19, 2008 and was waived on August 30, one day before being re-signed to the team’s practice squad. A graduate of Auburn, Brock ranked fifth on the Tigers defense with 59 tackles in 2007 while setting a season-high with eight stops against LSU.
Pollard, 6-3, 255 pounds, joins the Falcons in his 14th NFL season. He was signed by Atlanta earlier in the year on August 24, 2008, but was released following training camp. The Bradley alum, spent a majority of his NFL tenure with the Indianapolis Colts from 1995-2004. Along with a two-year stint with the Detroit Lions (2005-06) and one season with the Seattle Seahawks (2007), Pollard has totaled 349 receptions for 4,280 yards, 40 touchdowns and a long reception of 86 yards for a score. He has tallied eight career 100-yard games and has also posted 57 special teams tackles.
Vinnett, 5-8, 170 pounds, was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and competed in eight games while posting four tackles that season. He was waived by the Rams following the team’s 2008 training camp on August 30.
Butterworth, 6-7, 298 pounds, re-joins the Falcons after being waived by the team following training camp on August 30. At Slippery Rock University, he earned All-America honorable mention honors by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette and also garnered ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America accolades.
