Safety Zeke Motta, who missed all of the 2014 season following neck surgery, was waived by the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.
Motta joined the team as a seventh-round draft pick out of Notre Dame in 2013. He played in 10 games as a rookie with one start.
Motta suffered a cervical fracture against the Green Bay Packers, a game during which he recorded a career-high 10 tackles. He then started and played all 68 snaps the very next game against Washington.
It is unclear if Motta intends to play football again. He was viewed as more of a special-teams contributor with the Falcons because of his tackling.
The Falcons could use more depth, particularly at free safety, after being unable to sign anyone at the position in free agency. Strong safety William Moore returns but is coming off a major shoulder surgery, so his status for offseason workouts remains unclear. Charles Godfrey, Kemal Ishmael, Dezmen Southward and Sean Baker are the other safeties with game experience, and there's a chance Southward could be moved to cornerback.
Dwight Lowery, last year's starting free safety, remains on the open market as a free agent. He reportedly visited the Indianapolis Colts this week.
