A couple of former Falcons have found new homes. After spending the 2021 season in Atlanta, veteran lineman Josh Andrews is signing with the Saints, according to his agent Brett Tessler. And the other, former 2019 draft pick Kendall Sheffield, was claimed by the Texans off waivers.
Andrews was brought in last offseason but never got healthy enough to take the left guard job from Jalen Mayfield. For a moment, I assumed Andrews would be the presumptive starter, but he was placed on the IR after breaking his hand a short time after the 53-man roster was made official. The Falcons moved forward with Mayfield, deciding to take their lumps with the rookie. Andrews is a versatile interior lineman who should prove to be a decent depth piece in New Orleans.
Sheffield is an entirely different story. After being drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the former Buckeye played in 38 games, starting in 20 over three seasons. However, 11 of those starts came during his rookie year, and he was objectively bad. During the 2020 season, it wasn’t much better. Over the course of those two seasons, Sheffield gave up 85 receptions for more than 1,000 yards. He just never improved during his time in Atlanta, and in 2021, Sheffield missed all of the offseason and the start of the regular season, not returning until October. When he came back, Sheffield didn’t provide any reason for the new regime to keep him.
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