Atlanta Falcons defensive end Takk McKinley Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons looking to trade DE Takkarist McKinley?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 10/28/20

With the Atlanta Falcons sitting at 1-6 overall and more likely to "earn" the top pick in next year's draft than a playoff berth, the NFC South outfit is reportedly looking to deal anyone deemed surplus to requirements before the Nov. 3 trade deadline.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Atlanta defensive end Takkarist McKinley won't play in Thursday's game against the Carolina Panthers as the 24-year-old attempts to fully recover from a lingering groin injury. The first-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft missed multiple games because of the setback and, per Fowler, played 23 snaps in last Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions.

Atlanta unsurprisingly elected not to pick up McKinley's fifth-year option, meaning he is on pace to enter free agency in March and could be traded for the right price after Thursday's contest.

McKinley has mostly underwhelmed over the past two seasons. He has one sack and eight total tackles this year.

Atlanta hit the figurative reset button earlier this month when owner Arthur Blank parted ways with coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, and it's believed the Falcons could look to move on from veteran quarterback Matt Ryan during the offseason.

The Dallas Cowboys received only a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft from the Detroit Lions for four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen on Tuesday, so the Falcons may have to take whatever they can get for McKinley assuming a serious offer arrives before the deadline.

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