Getty Former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver KeeSean Johnson.
The Atlanta Falcons continue to perfect their roster ahead of the 2022 season.
Oh Wednesday, August 17 team announced they had signed Arizona Cardinals wide receiver KeeSean Johnson.
OFFICIAL: We have signed KeeSean Johnson.
In a corresponding move, the Falcons waived wide receiver, Tyshaun James. They also
reached an injury settlement with undrafted free agent defensive linemen Bryce Rodgers.
ALL the latest Falcons news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Falcons newsletter here!
Johnson Joined the League in 2019
Johnson. 6’1″ entered the league as a sixth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals during the 2019 NFL Draft. He made his debut quickly, in the regular season opener against the Detroit Lions, and finished his rookie campaign with 21 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown through 10 games.
The following year in 2020, the Cardinals draft Andy Isabella who took Johnson’s playing time away from him. Johnson saw action in just six games where he logged 12 catches for 144 yards.
He spent last fall on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad before he joined the San Francisco 49ers in January. Johnson spent a good chunk of the offseason in the Bay area but didn’t make it past first-round cuts on Tuesday.
Johnson clearly wasn’t in the free agency market for long until the Falcons scooped him.
In total, Johson has logged 36 receptions for 360 yards (10.0 avg.) and one touchdown in 18 games (five starts).
Prior to breaking into the NFL, Johnson was a Fresno State all-time leader in receptions (275) and receiving yards (3,463).
We’ll likely get a peak of Johnson during the Falcons’ second preseason game against the New York Jets on Monday night, but he’ll have to perform well if he plans on making it past the second round of offseason cuts on Tuesday, August 22 when all NFL teams cut their rosters down to 80 players.
Johnson will battle it out for a final roster spot against Auden Tate, Geronimo Allison, Stanley Berryhill and Jared Bernhardt.
Jared Bernhardt’s Stock is High
Falcons rookie wideout, Jared Bernhardt, is currently en route to making the Falcons’ final roster after a solid debut in the preseason opener win over Detroit Lions last weekend.
Bernhardt leaped to snag a catch from rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder for a pivotal touchdown on a fourth-and-nine play with just under two minutes left.
Ridder 🤝 Bernhardt
Stealing our hearts
📺: @nflnetwork | @FOX5Atlanta
📲: Falcons App
“It was Cover 1 man. We had a fade on the backside so I was looking at that,” Ridder said of the game-winning throw to Bernhardt after the game. “He kind of got beat up off the line so I kind of progressed off of it and came back and felt an edge so I rolled out to the right. At that point, you have to give someone a chance.”
Bernhardt was the underdog who got the chance that night.
The Ferris State product comes to Atlanta with an intriguing background. The rookie receiver was a star lacrosse player at the University of Maryland before transferring to Ferris State to play quarterback.
We will, for sure, see Bernhardt get more snaps in Atlanta’s second preseason game.
And hopefully, his versatility and athleticism are enough to help him to make it through the final cuts in two weeks.
READ NEXT: