Falcons sign trio of UFL players, cut WR Casey Washington

FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA - MAY 27: Casey Washington #82 of the Atlanta Falcons runs through drills during OTA's at IBM Performance Field on May 27, 2026 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images I’m running a bit late to this news, but it’s surprising during minicamp. The Atlanta Falcons have signed three former UFL players they’ve worked out in recent days, and one of their three cuts qualifies as a bit of a shocker.

class="has-text-align-none">That would be Casey Washington, who was an interesting addition as a sixth round pick to a thin Falcons receiving corps in 2024. The surprise isn’t that Washington won’t make this team—that was always a possibility with a new regime and plenty of additions at the position—but that it’s happening this early in the year. Washington leaves with seven receptions for 108 yards in 15 games as a Falcon. We’ll wish him well wherever he lands, as well as defensive linemen Elijah Garcia and CJ Nunnally IV.

The #Falcons have announcing the signings of WR Antwane Wells Jr., DT Devonnsha Maxwell and DE Keshawn Banks.

In corresponding moves, Atlanta has released WR Casey Washington, DL Elijah Garcia and DE CJ Nunnally IV.

Cutting Washington is the biggest surprise. He was a Falcons…

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) June 17, 2026That out of the way, all three of Atlanta’s additions are interesting ones, and all of them come to the Falcons from the UFL.

class="has-text-align-none">Devonnsha Maxwell is fresh off a season where he put up four sacks for the DC Defenders, and he adds some more pass rushing juice to the group of interior defensive linemen this summer. He’ll compete for a deep reserve or practice squad role, but if he can show out during the summer, Maxwell has a decent chance of grabbing a spot given that Nate Ollie can never have enough aggressive, quarterback-chasing defensive linemen.

class="has-text-align-none">Keshawn Banks appeared in three games with the Patriots early in his career, taking on a special teams role there, before putting up five sacks and a league-high 11 tackles for a loss with the Orlando Storm of the UFL in 2026. The ability to play special teams and the UFL production should help him as he chases a practice squad spot in a fairly deep outside linebacker group, especially if James Pearce Jr. is suspended as expected early this year.

class="has-text-align-none">Finally, there’s Antwane Wells Jr., who boasts similar size to Washington and is fresh off a season where he managed 25 receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns for the Columbus Aviators. Wells is a rugged possession receiver who will try to latch on to a practice squad spot in a re-tooled receiver corps, competing with the likes of veterans Chris Blair and Dylan Drummond and a handful of undrafted free agents.

class="has-text-align-none">Give a warm welcome to all three, and we’ll see if they can turn this opportunity into a productive summer and a spot on the team.