Falcons Release 2020 Fourth-Round Pick

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Essentially, he will replace another fourth-round cornerback drafted three years ago.

The Falcons announced on May 3 that they have released cornerback John Reid.

The 26-year-old has spent time with four different NFL organizations. This was his second stint in Atlanta.

The Houston Texans drafted Reid, who played college at Penn State, at No. 141 overall in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Texans then signed Reid to a four-year contract worth $3.8 million.

Reid played 13 games for the Texans in 2020, but prior to his second season, Houston traded Reid to the Seattle Seahawks. He started a career-high two games with the Seahawks, posting 12 combined tackles and 2 pass defenses.

As a rookie with the Texans, he had 13 combined tackles and 1 pass defense.

But Reid had injury concerns the following summer and began the 2022 season on injured reserve. The Seahawks waived him midway through October.

While Reid signed a contract to join the Falcons practice squad about a month later, he ended the 2022 calendar year with the Tennessee Titans. In three games, he had 5 tackles and 1 quarterback hit.

The Titans, though, waived Reid on December 30. Four days later, the Falcons again signed Reid to their practice squad.

He’s played in 27 contests, but despite having two different stints with the Falcons, Reid has never dressed for Atlanta.

In 27 career games, he’s posted 30 combined tackles, including 23 solos, 1 quarterback hit and 3 pass defenses. He started four of those 27 games.

The release of Reid likely signals that the Falcons are ready to sign a different player to their roster. The team had two receivers visit for a workout on May 2, but neither have signed yet.