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Sometimes it's okay to admit when you're wrong. The Atlanta Falcons did just that on Saturday, as they brought in the kicker they previously released. Matt Bryant, once retired at 44-years-old, has been brought back to Atlanta, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
When the Falcons initially had cut Bryant, general manager Thomas Dimitroff noted that doing so was a difficult decision, but one necessary going forward.
“I am extremely grateful for everything that Matt Bryant has done for this organization over the last 10 years,” Dimitroff said, per Pro Football Talk. “There is no doubt he is one of the all-time great Falcons as he’s been an integral part of our success. This was a difficult decision but one that was necessary for us to move forward into 2019. We have the utmost respect for the person and the player that Matt is, and we wish he and his family the best going forward.”
It appears as if Dimitroff was wrong, as he witnessed Giorgia Tavecchio and Blair Walsh struggle immensely in the preseason. Tavecchio was brought in to replace Bryant in 2018 after he suffered a hamstring injury that put him out three games.
In 2016, Bryant made the Pro-Bowl as a member of the Falcons. For his career, which is split between Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Miami, and New York (Giants), Bryant has made 86.2% of field goal attempts and 98.8% of extra points. In 2018, despite the hamstring ailment, he missed just one field goal out of 21 attempts and two extra points out of 35 attempts.