Falcons Sign Former New England Patriots, Denver Broncos Defensive End

As the season draws closer, the Atlanta Falcons are making moves. On Monday, the Falcons announced they had signed former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci and released former Jacksonville Jaguars 1000-yard receiver DJ Chark and backup quarterback Emory Jones.

That left one roster spot open, and they are adding more to their defensive front in the form of former New England Patriots third-round pick Ronnie Perkins, according to Jordan Schultz.

Perkins was originally drafted out of Oklahoma by the New England Patriots 96th overall in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Falcons selected Jalen Mayfield in the third round that same year, and starting linebacker Divine Deablo also went in the third to the Raiders in 2021.

During his three-year collegiate career, Perkins amassed 17.5 sacks, 100 tackles (62 solo, 38 assisted), 34 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one pass defended. 

Perkins has unfortunately spent the majority of his time in the NFL injured. The defensive end was inactive for the first 13 games of his rookie season before being placed on the injured reserve. He then spent the entirety of the 2022 season on the IR as well. In August of 2023, he was waived and placed on the Patriots' practice squad.

A month later, Perkins was signed off of the Patriots’ practice squad to the Denver Broncos' 53-man roster. He remained on the active roster until December, when the Broncos released him and placed him on their own practice squad.

He saw limited action in seven games for the Broncos during the 2023 season and recorded 13 total tackles. He remained with the Broncos until last summer, when he was placed on IR and eventually released by Denver.

Perkins was signed by the Cardinals to Arizona’s practice squad a month later and remained with the Cardinals for much of the 2024 season without making an appearance.

After moving from practice squad to practice squad, Perkins played in the United Football League (UFL). He signed with the Birmingham Stallions in February of 2025. 

In five games with the Stallions, Perkins recorded 17 total tackles (13 solo, 4 assisted), 6.0 tackles for losses, and 3.5 sacks. Now the defensive end is making a return to the NFL after being signed by the Atlanta Falcons. 

Perkins is a depth piece in training camp and is a long shot to make the 53-man roster in a suddenly deep edge room. He’s battling for a chance to be re-signed by the Falcons to their practice squad after final cut-downs on August 26th.  

“You guys know really well how much we value our practice squad guys by the amount of flexes we had last year,” Head coach Raheem Morris told the media on Monday.