After being surprisingly released by the Falcons, Jaylinn Hawkins was quickly signed by the Chargers. He was at worst a very capable depth piece for Atlanta, so it wasn’t clear why the club parted ways with the 2020 fourth-round pick.
Los Angeles snapped him up even though multiple clubs put a claim in for him. In his first practice, Hawkins went down with what was thought to be a potentially serious injury. According to Kris Rhim, a cart was needed to get him off the field during his first Chargers practice.
Thankfully, it seems Jaylinn Hawkins avoided an injury at all because Rhim reported that he was present and doing individual drills.
Brandon Staley updated the media following practice, stating that they were just dehydrated after a long flight.
Hawkins started 16 games at safety for the Falcons last season and was supposed to be able to get on the field in packages that called for a safety instead of a cornerback in nickel personnel.
The club parted ways with Mykal Walker this offseason in a similarly shocking move. He was also a starter last year and was the most experienced reserve linebacker behind Troy Andersen and Kaden Elliss.
Then Nate Landman got some burn in the wake of a Troy Andersen injury and made the staff look like geniuses because there has been little to no drop-off from the second-round pick to the undrafted free agent thus far.
Something similar could be brewing with Hawkins and DeMarcco Hellams, a rookie seventh-round pick that recorded a pair of interceptions in the preseason. It still seems a little overzealous to get rid of that kind of depth, replacing Hawkins’ spot with a practice squad player in Micah Abernathy.
Maybe it was about money. The Falcons saved nearly $2 million by parting ways with Jaylinn Hawkins, but I doubt it.
For Los Angeles, Hawkins will provide capable depth and also a special teams presence. In the last year of his contract, he’ll have the rest of the 2023 campaign to build free agency value.
More must-reads: