With rookie cornerback Isaiah Oliver slowed by an ankle injury, the Falcons moved cornerback Deante Burton up to the active roster on Tuesday.
Burton was signed by the Falcons as a wide receiver in 2017, but spent the last year making the conversion to the defensive side of the ball.
“Just trusting that it was going to be a process, that they were going to be trials and tribulations,” Burton said about the toughest part of the move. “There were going to be good days and bad days with it. But these guys are all really good and they’re helpful.”
Burton was released and then signed to the practice squad on Sunday. On Monday, he was told of the pending roster move.
“It was definitely cool when (Falcons coach Dan Quinn) kind of let me know that I would be on the active roster and that he was going to keep me,” Burton said. “He talked to me yesterday a little bit, so I got a chance to call my mom and let her know, so that was nice.”
Burton played at Kansas State and played wide receiver during the 2017 exhibition season. The Falcons signed Burton to the practice squad after establishing their 53-man roster and moved him to cornerback.
Burton, a 6-foot-2, 205 pounder made 35 career starts at Kansas State, including his final 26 games. He caught 84 passes for 1,085 yards with five touchdowns in four seasons, and is the 29th player in school history to record 1,000 career receiving yards.
He was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2016 and a second-team pick in 2014. Burton was part of a Wildcat senior class that went 32-20 with two bowl victories in four years.
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