Falcons sign former Rams tight end Nikola Kalinic

Atlanta adds to its tight end room by turning to a player familiar to Zac Robinson, and he may have a clear road to a role.

The Atlanta Falcons can’t resist plundering the Canadian Football League during the offseason, having already signed receiver Makai Polk earlier this month. Now they’ve reached north of the border again to sign a tight end, but the twist is that it’s not a current CFLer; it’s a former Ram who happens to be Canadian.

Per the great CFL site 3 Down Nation, the Falcons have added tight end Nikola Kalinic. The Canadian native (he’s from York, Ontario) is a lightly used but capable enough receiving threat who has had stints with the Colts and Rams, spending time on the practice squad while Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson were on the Los Angeles coaching staff. It’s worth noting that Sean McVay had some praise for him this past season for work on special teams.

The Falcons are getting a big, physical tight end with solid hands, a player who seems like a logical candidate to compete to replace Ross Dwelley given his ability to play teams for Marquice Williams and the pass catching acumen. The Falcons didn’t get much out of Dwelley a year ago and he wasn’t an asset as a blocker; if Kalinic can provide a bit more in that regard and the Falcons don’t make major additions to the roster, consider him an early frontrunner for Dwelley’s job behind (we assume) Kyle Pitts and Charlie Woerner.

Give Kalinic a warm welcome, and we’ll see if he sticks.