Gwinnett Daily Post

David Irons' NFL career likely isn't over, but his time with the hometown Atlanta Falcons is done.

The Dacula grad, still rehabbing from a 2008 ACL tear in his knee, agreed to an injury settlement with the Falcons, who released him on Tuesday afternoon. Irons played 20 games in two seasons with Atlanta, which selected him in the sixth round out of Auburn in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Irons tore the ACL, his third career knee injury, last December against Tampa Bay. He is close to getting it game ready, but likely would have to miss most of the preseason schedule, so the Falcons decided to look at other cornerback options.

"(David) just figures he'll work hard and get ready for training camp somewhere," said Irons' father David Irons Sr., who expected his son to sign with another NFL team soon. "It still caught him off guard (to get waived), but he handled it pretty well.

"He's about 95 percent (recovered) on the knee. It's just a matter of strengthening the quad. He's running full speed and cutting side to side."

Irons played in 20 games with the Falcons, developing into one of the team's best special teams players. He had 17 career special teams tackles.