Falcons’ John Atkins activated from Reserve/COVID-19 list

Former Georgia defensive lineman John Atkins, who signed June 17 to help fill the Falcons’ 90-man roster, was activated from the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction listings.

Atkins, 28, of Thomson, was put on the list at the start of training camp and has missed five practices.

Atkins has spent time with the Patriots and Lions. He has played in 14 NFL games and made six starts over two seasons. He had 22 tackles and one tackle for loss. He’s 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds.

He opted out of last season during the coronavirus pandemic.

Atkins played four seasons with the Bulldogs and finished his career with 81 tackles, 3.5 for losses, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 48 games. He made 38 tackles as a senior nose tackle in 2017.

The Bow Tie Chronicles

For more content about The Atlanta Falcons

Follow me on Twitter @DOrlandoAJC

On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now

Atlanta Falcons coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Falcons’ 2021 schedule features trip to London, January trip to Buffalo

About the Author

On the hot seat for Falcons: Special teams haven’t been very special

After basically costing the team the game against the Jets, Atlanta's special teams units will be on the hot seat when they face the Seahawks Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

X-factor Sunday: Can the Falcons run the ball vs. Seattle’s stout defense?

Seattle has the No. 2-ranked run defense in the NFL. The Seahawks, who defeated Minnesota 26-0 on Sunday, are coming off their first shutout since 2015.