FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons signed kicker Ben Sauls and wide receiver Deven Thompkins to the practice squad on Tuesday.
Sauls is an undrafted rookie who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason but was released before the 53-man roster cut deadline. He played in all three of the Steelers' preseason games, making five of his six field-goal attempts and all six of his point-after attempts. His successful field goals were from 28, 36, 28, 49 and 50 yards out. His sole miss was a 43-yarder.
Sauls played for the University of Pittsburgh from 2020-24, but he only handled place-kicking duties between 2022-24. He went 52-for-64 during that span, an 81.3% success rate. He also made 122 of his 124 point-after attempts (98.4%) throughout his five seasons. The two misses came during his redshirt freshman year in 2021.
In total, Sauls was responsible for 278 points throughout his Pitt career.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Monday the team will bring in competition for new kicker Parker Romo, who went 0-for-2 on field goals in the Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Romo, however, did go 5-for-5 in the Week 4 win against the Minnesota Vikings. He was signed to the active roster last week after the Falcons released veteran kicker Younghoe Koo.
Thompkins, meanwhile, comes to Atlanta with three years of NFL experience — all within the NFC South. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2022-23 and for the Panthers in 2024.
Thompkins one full season of work came in 2023; he totaled 17 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball eight times for 56 yards.
His best game was the Buccaneers' Week 4 win against the New Orleans Saints in 2023. He caught all four of his targets for 45 yards and a touchdown. The score was a 5-yard pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Last season, Thompkins played in seven games, recording four receptions for 20 yards. He also had two carries for 7 yards.
The Falcons (1-2) host the Washington Commanders (2-1) on Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
