Atlanta Falcons WR Damiere Byrd Signs with Carolina Panthers - Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Falcons News

Former Falcons WR Signs with NFC South Rival

The Atlanta Falcons have been arguably the most active team in the NFL prior to the draft, but with all of the incomings there have to be some outgoings as well.

Free agent wide receiver Damiere Byrd signed with the Carolina Panthers according to Adam Schefter.

“Panthers signed veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who returns to Carolina, where he played from 2015-2018,” Schefter reported on Twitter.

Byrd signed a one-year contract with the Falcons last season after spending a year with the Chicago Bears (like so many of the Falcons the last two seasons).

In his only season with the Falcons he had 13 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He played in 14 of the Falcons 17 games last year including four starts. He did not contribute on special teams.

READ MORE: Falcons Sign Veteran Edge Rusher, Former Titan/Steeler

The Falcons signed two wide receivers during the free agent period in Scotty Miller and Mack Hollins. The key difference between Byrd and the two-new Falcons receivers is special teams. Miller and Hollins have both been special teams standouts throughout their career.

Despite signing Miller and Hollins, the Falcons are still short handed at the receiver position. Drake London is written in at No. 1, but after that it gets a little dicey.

Tight end Kyle Pitts lines up at every wide receiver position over the course of a game, but the Falcons still lack a legit No. 2 wide receiver.

Specifically one that can get separation in space and has run after the catch ability.

The Falcons have brought in a trio of wide receivers for pre-draft visits including Trey Palmer (Nebraska), Jonathan Mingo (Ole Miss), and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State).

Palmer and Smith-Njigba are smaller, quicker wide receivers while Mingo has a body type that looks a lot like Cordarrelle Patterson. Smith-Njigba would be an excellent candidate for the Falcons if they decide to trade down from the No. 8 pick.

Mingo and Palmer can be had in the second and third rounds… maybe later.

The Falcons have poured a ton of resources into rebuilding their defense in the last month, and they’ll be targeting at least one wide receiver in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Scott Kennedy
Scott Kennedy is an Atlanta native and 20 year media veteran including time as Director of Scouting at Scout.com, Managing Editor at 247Sports, VP Content Operations at Sports Illustrated and more. Scott has appeared as a recruiting and NFL Draft analyst on dozens of media including ESPN, NFL Network, USA Today, NY Times, and more.
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