Getty Images Brandon Powell of the Atlanta Falcons scores a 9-yard receiving touchdown against Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos on November 08, 2020.
On Friday the Buffalo Bills announced that they have signed former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver/kick return specialist Brandon Powell to a one-year contract. According to Bills writer Ryan Talbot, Powell has been onboarded for the veteran minimum and will likely be competing with Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie for a job.
Per source, it’s a vet minimum deal for WR/KR Brandon Powell with the #Bills.
Powell—5-foot-8, 188 pounds—spent the past two seasons with the Falcons, and in 2020 served as the team’s punt returner and primary kickoff returner.
Like offensive lineman Matt Gono, Powell was a restricted free agent. But unlike Gono, the Falcons elected not to tender him, leaving him free to sign with another team. (Meanwhile, Gono signed his second-round tender two days ago, so he will be back with the Falcons this season, this time at a salary of $3.384 million.)
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Brandon Powell’s Tenure with the Falcons
Powell, 25, entered the NFL on May 11, 2018, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions out of the University of Florida.
He got a foothold in the league by distinguishing himself as a ‘preseason MVP’ (if you will), catching 16 passes during the 2018 preseason while also averaging 15.7 yards per punt return, including an 80-yard touchdown return. He went on to appear in six regular season games for the Lions and caught 11 passes for 129 yards while also returning two punts and two kickoffs.
Then in 2019 he failed to make Detroit’s 53-man roster, at which point he was signed to Atlanta’s practice squad and subsequently spent time on Atlanta’s active roster.
In 2020, Powell earned a spot on the Falcons’ roster and returned 17 punts for 152 yards and 17 kickoffs for 343 yards, with his longest return going for 29 yards. Powell also caught 12 passes for 69 yards and scored two touchdowns, including the following red zone pitch-and-catch from Matt Ryan.
#MattyIce❄️ finds Brandon Powell wide open in the end zone!
📺: CBS
In total, Powell has recorded 23 catches for 198 yards in 21 career games.
Powell’s Career at Florida
The Deerfield Beach, Fla. native is a former 4-star recruit who started his college career at running back but later switched to wide receiver. He went on to catch 131 passes for 1,330 yards and nine touchdowns at Florida, where he also served as a kick returner and punt returner. His 131 receptions are 11th-most in school history. His best college season as a kickoff returner came in 2015 when he had 24 returns for 510 yards (21.3 yards per return), including a 71-yarder on an opening kickoff against Vanderbilt.
As a senior in high school he was the Broward County 8A-7A-6A Player of the Year (2013) and rushed for 1,339 yards on 141 carries with 20 touchdowns.
As for the possible candidates to replace Powell in terms of handling kick return duties, those would seem to include wide receiver Chris Rowland, cornerback Tyler Hall and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus with Rowland arguably the leading contender. It’s probably more likely, though, that next season’s primary kick returner is not yet on the team.
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