Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A general view of large Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons helmets at the NFL Scouting Combine Experience at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
The Atlanta Falcons already employ former Minnesota Vikings players like Kirk Cousins and Mike Hughes, but they didn’t shy away from another this week.
Ex-Vikings offensive tackle Coy Cronk signed in Atlanta on Tuesday, on deck for practice squad duty.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Tuesday, “Falcons place Micah Abernathy on IR, promote Matt Hennessy to 53, signed Dane Cruikshank and Coy Cronk to practice squad.”
Cronk is now a call-up away from the Falcons’ gameday roster. Atlanta sits in pretty fancy shape through six games, owning a 4-2 record and battling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for control of the NFC South.
Here’s Cronk’s career resume to date:
These are the Falcons offensive tackles at the moment:
The above-listed Norton is also a former Viking.
Minnesota cut ties with Cronk in April, waiving the OT with an injury designation, though no details of the ailment were revealed at the time. It took some time to find new employment, but he’ll remain in the NFC with the Falcons, a club the Vikings play in eight weeks.
Cronk, an Indiana native, joined the NFL in 2021 as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers. He didn’t make it through the summer to Green Bay’s 2021 active roster, released during summer trimdowns three years ago.
He then joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in October 2021, staying until August 2023. The Vikings scooped Cronk last November and actually re-signed the man nine months ago to a futures deal — that didn’t last long.
Before turning pro three years ago, Cronk spent three seasons at the University of Indiana from 2016 to 2018 and transferred to the University of Iowa for the 2020 collegiate campaign. He was a teammate of Sam LaPorta and Ihmir Smith-Marsette during his final season as a Hawkeye before making the jump to the NFL.
The Falcons have a 74% chance of reaching the playoffs in 2024, according to DVOA, playing impressive since a Week 1 stinker at home versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ex-Vikings passer Kirk Cousins has settled in down south, hitting his groove after the rotten game against Pittsburgh. Cousins ranks eighth per EPA+CPOE through six weeks among all quarterbacks, an efficiency metric measuring expected wins added.
Atlanta’s offensive line ranks around 21st in the business per Pro Football Focus.
Cronk will turn 27 in January.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.