FLOWERY BRANCH — This is the third time the Falcons have parted with a late-round pick and tried to turn it into a pass-catcher.
The Falcons sent a fifth-round pick to the Raiders for wide receiver Bryan Edwards and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2022. The Falcons sent a seventh-round pick to New England for tight end Jonnu Smith in May.
The Falcons sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Rams for wide receiver Van Jefferson and a 2025 seventh-round pick Tuesday. Jefferson was at practice Wednesday, trying to get up to speed on the new offense.
The Edwards deal didn’t turn out so well.
Edwards played in seven games and made one start. He caught three passes before he was released last season.
Smith is off to a fine start, as he’s tied for the team lead in receptions with 21 and has the team lead with 246 yards receiving.
Jefferson went through his first practice with the Falcons on Wednesday.
“It’s been a wild 24 hours,” Jefferson said. “I woke up and did my regular routine. Got a call from my agent, ‘Hey, you might be traded today.’ Then I got the call. I was gone. Had to leave my wife and kids at home. Got on the red eye, and I was here this morning. I haven’t been to sleep yet.”
Jefferson hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps. Shawn Jefferson played for the Falcons from 2000-02.
“I remember of us coming to the games,” Jefferson said. “We stayed in Marietta when he played here. Just to be here when my dad played here was great. Hopefully, I can continue that legacy.”
Now, it’s matter of how quickly the Falcons can get Jefferson, a former second-round pick by the Rams, up to speed.
“Obviously, I have never thrown with him or done anything before,” Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder said Wednesday. “Coming into a new offense for him. It’s going to take a little time to get connected. Get on the same page. Make sure that we are communicating.”
Ridder figures they can help Jefferson in practice. He plans to stay after practice with him and then spend some time together in the film room.
“Then the physical part of it, I’m going to see out there how the routes are run,” Ridder said. “How he gets in and out of his breaks. Then it just becomes the mental part. Can we catch him up as quickly as possible to get him out there and get him on the field playing?”
Ridder worked with Smith, Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller over the offseason after they were acquired or signed.
“This will be my first experience in-season,” Ridder said. “When you talk about guys coming in the offseason, that’s where you’re able to bring them in for a day, run your base routes and get a feel for them.”
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shawn Jefferson, who played in the NFL from 1991-2003, was a former ninth-round pick out of Central Florida. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Carolina Panthers. Also, Shawn Jefferson worked with Falcons coach Arthur Smith in Tennessee (2013-15).
Jefferson, 27, was taken in the second round (57th overall) in the 2020 draft after he played collegiately at Ole Miss (2015-17) and Florida (2018-19).
Jefferson played only two offensive snaps Sunday in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Eagles. He is in the final year of his rookie contract.
Jefferson has played in 49 games and made 30 starts. He has been targeted 179 times and has 101 catches for 1,499 yards and 10 touchdowns.
His best season was 2021, when he caught 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns as he helped the Rams win the Super Bowl. He started in Super Bowl LVI and caught four passes for 23 yards in the Rams’ 23-20 win over the Bengals.
The Falcons are hoping that Jefferson will benefit from a change of scenery.
“I’m excited to have a chance to work with Van,” Smith said.
The Falcons don’t want to put a timetable on how fast they can get Jefferson ready to play.
“We’ll just see how the week goes,” Smith said. “A player that I’ve known a lot about. ... I watched him play in high school in the Nashville area. He was a big recruit coming out of (Brentwood, Tennessee). I think Shawn enjoyed being the recruiting dad.”
Van Jefferson played with Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts in college and led the Gators in receiving yards in 2019 with 657 yards, 49 catches and six touchdowns.
“This is exciting,” Pitts said. “I’m happy for him. When I saw it, I was actually in the grocery store. When he called me, I was like. ‘this is lovely. I’ll see you when I get here.’”
The Falcons have a good working relationship with Rams general manager Les Snead.
“We appreciate the Rams,” Smith said. “A lot of times circumstances change and guys could use a change of scenery. You have a chance to add to a certain group and see how it works out. We are excited to have Van, and we’ll see how it goes.”
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