For all the moves the Atlanta Falcons made to address the wide receiver position this offseason, the receiver room is clearly much better off with improved depth. Between Jahan Dotson, the return of Olamide Zaccheus, and the selection of third-round rookie Zachariah Branch, they're way better off.
If Drake London goes down like he did last season, the Falcons are now prepared to handle it. But that would affect the new receivers just as much as it would one of the returning wideouts. And it appears that amid all of the moves they made, one of the veteran receivers they brought back ran out of lives.
That's how Casey Washington should feel right now. After being purpled within the offense down the stretch last season, a better offensive staff still didn't think there was enough meat left on the bone to warrant giving him another shot, so he was cut in a corresponding move with several UFL signings.
Casey Washington was officially released by the Atlanta Falcons
After starting the 2025 season as the WR3 behind London and Darnell Mooney, it didn't take long for the 25-year-old to lose his stranglehold on a starting job. He became a frequent healthy scratch, and pass-catchers like Dylan Drummond and David Sills V managed to steal his place on the depth chart.
The third-year man was taking advantage of Raheem Morris' firing. Before his release, he was off to a strong start in mandatory minicamp, as Falcons reporter Will McFadden named Casey Washington as one of the winners of Tuesday's practice, but it wasn't enough for him to affirm his place in Atlanta.
"Casey Washington had a good day on Tuesday and caught passes from both Penix and Tua Tagovailoa," McFadden wrote. "The Falcons have invested a lot in their receiver room this offseason, but Washington is an interesting name to keep in mind for training camp. He has excellent chemistry with Penix and was a standout early in camp last year."
McFadden noted that the 2024 sixth-round pick caught passes from both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, and reiterated the strong chemistry he has with Penix. They had a solid connection early on in 2025, and brought up that Washington was one of the standouts in camp this time last year.
The Illinois product was once believed to be as good as gone amid the WR overhaul, and the Dirty Birds eventually proved us right. Washington was playing himself back into the new staff's good graces, but him being buried on the depth chart of a team with no WR depth last year wasn't enough for him to even survive on the roster through training camp.
Branch, London, Dotson, and Zaccheus are set to take the top four spots in the WR room, but not even giving Casey Washington a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp before cutting him is proof that Kevin Stefanski isn't messing around in who he thinks deserves a second chance.
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