Sean Gardner/Getty Images Jordan Matthews of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates a 37-yard touchdown catch against the New Orleans Saints on January 13, 2019.
On Tuesday the Atlanta Falcons worked out five players—this according to veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson—including safety Maurice Smith, who finished his college career at UGA after a well-publicized transfer from Alabama.
Atlanta Falcons worked out Daniel Helm, Jordan Matthews, Maurice Smith, Will Sunderland, Josh Watson
But the most notable name on Wilson’s list is wide receiver/tight end Jordan Matthews, who was an uber-productive wide receiver at Vanderbilt before the Philadelphia Eagles made him a second-round pick (No. 42 overall) in 2014. He scored eight touchdowns in each of his first two seasons in the NFL before knee injuries began taking their toll, and he has scored just six receiving touchdowns since.
This year the 29-year-old has been working to make the transition to tight end, but was unable to win a job with San Francisco at his new position and was released by the 49ers on August 31.
According to Pro Football Reference, Matthews has appeared in 75 games for three different teams, namely the Eagles, 49ers and Buffalo Bills, the latter of whom acquired him in a trade with Philadelphia in August 2017. He has 274 career receptions for 3,288 yards and 22 touchdown receptions but played in just two games for the 49ers in 2020. By the time he left Vanderbilt, he was the most prolific wide receiver in SEC history, setting a new conference record with 112 receptions in 2013.
Defensive Back Maurice Smith
As for Smith, he came into the NFL in 2017, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins. He appeared in 13 games for the Dolphins in 2017-18 and has since spent time with Washington, Cincinnati and Tennessee. All in all, he has 15 games of NFL experience with one start, recording a total of seven solo tackles and two passes defensed.
He got himself onto the radar of NFL teams after a contentious transfer from the Crimson Tide to the Bulldogs. In his final college season, he played in 13 games as Georgia’s nickel back and recorded 50 total tackles, along with two interceptions and a sack.
Tight End Daniel Helm
Meanwhile, the Falcons also worked out another ex-49er in tight end Daniel Helm, who appeared in five games for San Francisco in 2020. The 26-year-old is a former undrafted free agent who played most of his college career at Duke after transferring from Tennessee.
Cornerback Will Sunderland
The Falcons also took a look at cornerback Will Sunderland—6-foot-2 and 196 pounds—who signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He has since been a part of the Colts’ practice squad and has also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks.
Sunderland started his college career at Oklahoma before transferring to Troy and earning first-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2019. He finished his 24-game Trojans career with 59 tackles, five interceptions, nine passes defensed and 1.5 sacks.
Linebacker Josh Watson
Last but not least, there’s linebacker Josh Watson, 25, who came into the NFL with the Denver Broncos after playing at Colorado State. In 2019-20 he appeared in 17 games for the Broncos and has seven career tackles.
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