Falcons signed veteran cornerback Darqueze Dennard, who will compete for a starting position in the secondary.
After agreeing to terms with the Falcons, Dennard had to pass three COVID-19 test before the deal became official Monday.
The Falcons are young at cornerback and were looking at the late free-agent market. Cornerbacks Logan Ryan, Trumaine Johnson and Dennard all were available.
Dennard, 28, of Twiggs County, was a first-round draft pick (24th overall) of the Bengals in 2014. The Falcons now have 18 first-round draft picks on the roster.
Before the deal was finalized, Dennard, who resides in Atlanta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was looking forward to playing in his home state.
“Most definitely,” he said.
Dennard has played in 77 NFL games and made 24 starts. He has three career interceptions.
He agreed to terms with the Jaguars on a three-year, $13.5 million that was to pay him $6 million guaranteed, but the deal collapsed, which was why he cautious about discussing the pending deal with the Falcons.
Dennard, 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, will allow the Falcons to move Kendall Sheffield outside. The Falcons allowed starting left cornerback Desmond Trufant to leave in free agency. He signed with the Lions.
The Falcons can have Sheffield, third-year man Isaiah Oliver and rookie A.J. Terrell compete for the starting outside positions.
Dennard was the 22nd highest-graded cornerback in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting how the NFL will operate this season, reported visits on the NFL personnel notice will serve as a great indicator that a team is looking to sign a player. Given the COVID-19 protocols in place, officially signing a free agent will be a lengthier process than normal this season.
Dennard popped up on the NFL personnel notice as having visited the Falcons on Thursday. However, no one can walk inside a team facility without three negative COVID-19 test results. Per an NFL official, reported visits from the personnel notice are designed to start the process of testing a free agent for COVID-19 and administering a physical, with the purpose of signing the player.
There was a strategic reason to avoid signing Dennard until he clears the COVID-19 protocol. If the Falcons signed Dennard before the testing process begins, and Dennard tested positive, he would be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and remain there until he was cleared to return, all while his salary counts against the cap.
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