One of the most unnoticed provisions of the expanded 2020 practice squads is that teams can protect up to four players from being poached per week. Given that there are 16 players, it’s a tough thing to determine which four you’re going to protect in a given week, but the Falcons have made their decision already for Week 1.
Interestingly, the team has decided to mix promise with practical needs with their four selections. They’re showing how much they value Kurt Benkert and Chris Rowland by adding both to their list, but they’re also protecting two more veteran options in Sean Harlow and John Wetzel.