Getty The Falcons have added another tall figure to their WR room.
The Atlanta Falcons weren’t done adding wide receivers after the trade for Bryan Edwards. Instead, the team has signed a former wideout of the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, after the pass-catcher enjoyed a successful tryout during the Falcons’ rookie minicamp.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday, May 16 the Falcons have signed Geronimo Allison:
Allison’s arrival has coincided with a flurry of other roster moves as the Falcons reshuffled the deck to get to the required 90-player limit. As well as Allison, the Falcons also signed tight end Tucker Fisk and defensive back Tre Webb, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic:
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Allison’s Arrival Latest Part of WR Shakeup
Allison had been welcomed for a tryout when the Falcons opened rookie minicamp on Saturday, according to Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated’s Falcon Report:
Things obviously went well for Allison, who was looking for a way back into the NFL. He spent most of 2021 moving from the practice squad to the active roster and back again for the Lions.
Allison entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He was signed by the Packers and played his way onto the active roster.
During four seasons in Green Bay, Allison started 15 games, made 89 receptions for 1,045 yards and six touchdowns. Now, the 28-year-old is the newest member of a small platoon of receivers signed by the Falcons this offseason.
Allison joins fellow free-agent arrivals Damiere Byrd, Auden Tate and KhaDarel Hodge. He’ll also be in the mix with Edwards, a former third-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, who cost the Falcons a 2023 fifth-round pick, per Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero:
The seventh-rounder in this deal is conditional, per the wire.
It’s Edwards’ arrival that adds a layer of intrigue to the decision to sign Allison.
Falcons Stockpiling Tall WRs
Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder may be competing for the starting job at quarterback, but whoever wins should have no trouble targeting the Falcons burgeoning fleet of tall wideouts.
Allison stands 6’3″ and weighs 202 pounds. His towering frame fits a trend in the way the Falcons have recruited at the position this offseason.
There’s been a conscious effort to surround tight end Kyle Pitts with size matchups on the outside. The Edwards deal confirmed the pattern, with AJ Schute of SB Nation’s Mile High Report outlining how the former Raider measures up against the other members of his position group:
Finding room for Allison shows the Falcons are doubling down on this strategy. Tate, Edwards, Allison and top draft pick Drake London will join Pitts to dwarf most defensive backs on the schedule.
The only exception is 5’9″, 175-pound Byrd. His slight frame and sudden quicks make him ideal to run option routes from the slot, attack the edges of defenses on jet sweeps, or catch passes out of the backfield, the way he did for the Chicago Bears against the Packers last season:
Fields answers back.
Damiere Byrd goes 54 YARDS for the @ChicagoBears touchdown! #DaBears
📺: #CHIvsGB on NBC
📱: t.co/ptqAMuLpIh
Whatever role Allison plays in this rotation, his arrival proves the Falcons have cast a wide net to overhaul a depth chart in need of a remodel after Russell Gage left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, and Calvin Ridley incurred an indefinite suspension for violating the league’s betting policies.