Getty Chris Williamson #29 of the Atlanta Falcons up against KhaDarel Hodge #12 of the Cleveland Browns.
The Atlanta Falcons re-signed cornerback Chris Williamson to the practice squad on Thursday, December 2.
Williamson had originally been cut on Tuesday of this week in order to make room for the return of left guard Josh Andrews.
We have signed Chris Williamson to the practice squad.
This re-sign comes by no surprise, since the Falcons have been using him for CB depth all season long.
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Williamson Is A Former Seventh-Round Pick
Williamson, 24, initially went drafted in the seventh round (247th overall) to the New York Giants in 2020.
After not making the 53-man roster following training camp, the Giants signed him to their practice squad. He was waived at the end of the year.
The Falcons were quick to pick him up in December for their own practice squad. He didn’t play any regular-season games for Atlanta until he was promoted to the active roster in 2021 for Week 5 and Week 7. And in Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, Williamson was officially signed to the Falcons’ active roster.
So far this season and his NFL career so far, Williamson has contributed 5 total tackles for Atlanta.
Prior to entering the NFL, Williamson spent his time playing for the University of Florida before transferring to Minnesota.
He played 14 games with 1 start and totaled 5 tackles through his first two seasons as a Gator. After that, he was forced to sit out in 2017 due to NCAA transfer rules. He saw more action during his 2018 junior year, playing in 11 games at nickelback where he recorded 34 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception. Williamson earned himself a starting role by his senior year and tallied a total of 57 tackles (4 for loss), 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and an interception. He was also invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Kendall Sheffield Returns to Full Participation at Practice
The Falcons previously signed Williamson in Week 10 just after third-string corner Kendall Sheffield re-injured his hamstring in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints.
But along with Andrews this week, the Falcons welcomed back Sheffield to full participation at practice. Sheffield landed on the injured reserve ahead of the 2021 season and has only played in three games this season, all on special teams.
The Falcons originally traded up six spots with the Detroit Lions in 2019 to select Sheffield in the fourth round.
He earned his first start during his rookie year after primary starting safety Keanu Neal suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during the third week of the season. That’s when then-Falcons HC Dan Quinn had to reevaluate what his secondary would look like.
Quinn ended up shuffling Damantee Kazee over to safety to fill Neal’s spot and put Sheffield at nickel. Sheffield ended his first NFL season starting 11 out of 16 games, recording 46 tackles and one forced fumble.
Last season, Sheffield notched a career-high 50 total tackles (37 solo), three passes defended, one forced fumble and a special teams tackle through 13 games with nine starts.
With a big game on the line, a 100% healthy Sheffield could see some action in the cornerback rotation against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
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