FLOWERY BRANCH — The Atlanta Falcons have released kicker Matt Bryant and agreed to terms with kicker Younghoe Koo.
Koo, who originally signed with the San Diego Chargers as a college free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft, has most recently spent time on the New England Patriots' practice squad.
The Georgia Southern kicker converted 3-of-6 field-goal attempts and was a perfect 9-for-9 on extra-point attempts for the Chargers in 2017. After being released, Koo signed with the now-defunct Atlanta Legends of the AAF in January and recorded the first points in the league's history with a 38-yard field goal against the Orlando Apollos. He was 14-for-14 on field goals in eight games with the Legends.
It's the second time in less than a year the Falcons have released Bryant. After missing three games last season, Giorgio Tavecchio stepped in and played well, prompting the Falcons' front office to release Bryant and retain Tavecchio.
The move to keep Tavecchio has made the Falcons' kicking position a revolving door, with former Georgia kicker Blair Walsh taking over for Tavecchio -- that, too, was a disaster. So Bryant was brought back on a one-year contract, also a failure.
This season, Bryant has missed 5-of-14 field-goal attempts for a career-low conversion percentage of 64.3. Atlanta held tryouts on Monday, bringing in Elliott Fry and Younghoe Koo to workout after Bryant missed 2-of-4 field-goal attempts in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks.
Bryant leaves the Falcons as the all-time scoring leader. In 10 seasons in Atlanta, Bryant connected on 259 of 296 field goals (87.5 percent), including 38 of 52 kicks from beyond 50 yards (73.1 percent). Bryant was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2016 season when he broke the club’s all-time points record and led the league in points scored.
