Falcons add veteran CB Kevin King, reuniting him with defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake

Atlanta takes a flier on a player who last appeared in an NFL game back in 2021.

Every coach has his guys. Arthur Smith’s guys were familiar tight ends and Feleipe Franks, Ryan Nielsen was only too happy to reunite with former Saints like David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss, and so forth. Some coaches believe in their guys and want to give them chances long after other teams have given up, and if you’re lucky, you strike gold.

Jimmy Lake will hope to with Kevin King. The new Falcons defensive coordinator coached King at Washington when Lake was the team’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2014-2016, and his tutelage helped the then-young cornerback flourish into a second round pick. King appeared in 51 games for the Packers from 2017-2021, starting 42 of those games, and managed seven interceptions along the way. Now he and Lake are reunited in Atlanta.

As the Falcons’ Terrin Waack writes, King is actually reuniting with three former coaches. Lake was his position coach at Washington, but assistant head coach Jerry Gray was his position coach for the Packers in 2020 and 2021, albeit with a promotion to passing game coordinator in 2021. Secondary coach Justin Hood was a defensive quality control coach in Green Bay in 2021, as well. This tells you that Atlanta has coaches who not only know King well, but believe he can be an asset for the Falcons.

At the moment, of course, that faith is just that: Faith. King had an up-and-down five seasons in Green Bay, but his evident talent was undercut by a spate of injuries that ensured he never appeared in a full season. In 2022, King elected to take a year off before a 2023 comeback was cut short by a torn Achilles suffered during an offseason workout, meaning he last appeared in a game all the way back in 2021. King will need to be fully healthy to contribute, and even then, it’s uncertain what kind of role he’ll be able to work his way into in Atlanta.

Still, it seems like an ideal landing spot for the attempt, with his connections to the team’s coaching staff and Atlanta’s obvious desire to bulk up their depth at the position. King is tall, versatile, and was showing signs of putting it all together in 2021, his best NFL season despite a relatively limited number of snaps. While he’s not the most physical player despite his size, King is willing and able to make plays on the ball and has NFL and college experience outside, at safety, and working against slot receivers, meaning the Falcons can utilize him as a substitute at multiple spots if he’s able to work his way on to the team.

This is unlikely to be an expensive contract for Atlanta, meaning this is less of a gamble and more of an upside addition that the team can easily walk away from if King simply (and unfortunately) isn’t able to stay healthy enough. If he can, however, King will be connecting again with coaches who know and appreciate him and landing somewhere where there won’t be pressure to land a starting role. I’ll be rooting for his comeback attempt, and if we’re fortunate, King will wind up making an impact for the 2024 Falcons.