FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Jakeem Grant was the last receiver to line up for his rep in the red zone during the Falcons' one-on-one period Monday. He'd been a Falcon for 16 hours in total after Atlanta announced his signing Sunday afternoon.
As he took his stance, A.J. Terrell jogged out to be his opposition.
When the ball was snapped, Grant burst off the line of scrimmage as Terrell stepped forward, welcoming the contact of the much smaller receiver. The contact never materialized, though, as Grant staggered his movement, threw Terrell off his pursuit and slid past the corner untouched. Terrell couldn't quite seem to change his direction in time. With ease, and with Terrell nowhere close, Michael Penix Jr. tossed an uncontested pass into Grant's waiting arms. All Terrell could do was shrug, the small and speedy receiver won the rep fair and square, even coaches looking on laughed and clapped at the sight.
However, as memorable as this moment was, it was all anyone really got to see of the recent signing Monday. Grant participated in individual and position drills to start practice, but once the session broke up into team periods, Grant spent the entirety on the sideline. He looked on as the first-team offense went through their jog-through. He chatted with Drake London and Darnell Mooney when the second-team offense took their turn. And he perused the call sheet with wide receiver coach Ike Hilliard in the moments between.
The Falcons didn't want to rush him into team activities right off the bat, which makes sense considering the less-than-24-hours he's been on the team. Still, it was obvious by his build, speed and skillset who's role Grant could take on: Rondale Moore's.
Moore was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury after the Falcons' second of two joint practices with Miami last week. It is a blow to the wide receiver corps, as Moore was expected to play a rotational role in the slot. He was also slated to be a key figure in the return game. So, once the news of a season-ending knee injury was confirmed, the Falcons front office went to work trying to find a natural replacement. Enter Grant.
"Jakeem Grant, quick, fast," Morris said. "... Really fired up about adding people. These guys (in the front office) are continuing to turn over the bottom of the roster at all times and they do a great job of doing it."
And therein lies the best thing I saw Monday. It wasn't necessarily that the Falcons got Grant. It also wasn't that he had a nice one-on-one rep. It was that you could see the work being done to fill a void – or try to, at least.
The last week was costly for Atlanta. Moore, Bralen Trice and Harrison Hand were all placed on injured reserve with knee injuries. DeMarcco Hellams is expected to be out for "a significant period of time" with an ankle injury. There are holes on this roster – important ones for depth purposes – that need to be filled, either by players already on the roster or ones coming in.
What I saw Monday indicated Atlanta isn't resting on its laurels during this time.
In fact, it's been heavily reported, first by the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, that the Falcons will host Justin Simmons Monday and Tuesday. The Pro Bowl safety is considered to be one of the best – if not the best – free agents available. According to Over The Cap, the Falcons have just over $3.5 million in available cap space for the 2024 season as of Monday.
This report comes after the flurry of Sunday roster moves that included the signing of Grant.
It's obvious the Falcons are putting in calls and making things happen as they work to make up for the loss of three players with starting potential. In fact, that work is just getting started.
"I definitely can see some things happening over the next couple of weeks," Morris concluded.
