FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons are in a precarious situation at the wide receiver position ahead of their trip out west to play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Fueling some of that uncertainty is the mysterious absence of veteran wideout Ray-Ray McCloud III.
He was not listed on the Wednesday practice report (it was just a walk-through), but he was not seen at practice on Thursday. The wideout was listed as a DNP (non-injury related – other) and then posted this cryptic message on his social media account.
On Monday night, McCloud was a last-minute addition to the inactive list after practicing all week in the lead-up to their game with Buffalo. Head coach Raheem Morris had this to say about why this decision was made.
“Coaching decision on Ray-Ray tonight, just like everybody else, anybody that you put down that’s not active,” he said Monday. “Decided to put him down tonight. He’ll be back out competing next week. We’ll see where we go. We had everybody we needed. We got everybody we wanted tonight, and we got out there and got a big win.”
On Friday, Morris confirmed that McCloud was sent home due to a private matter between he and the team. The Falcons’ head coach is unsure if he will return to the team.
For the season, his second in Atlanta, McCloud has six catches for 64 yards. In his first year with the Falcons, the No. 3 receiver had career-highs on the field, finishing with 62 catches for 686 yards and a touchdown.
McCloud was close with former position coach Ike Hilliard, who was fired after the Falcons’ 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
“It reminds you that this league has no loyalty. I mean, it’s football, it’s a day-to-day job, and you’ve got to come pay your dues every day,” McCloud said after Hilliard was fired last month. “He’s the best coach I ever had, but it’s been real. Just because that happened [the termination] doesn’t make it real, it’s been real, and that’s a part of the game.”
The nature of this situation leaves McCloud’s future with the Falcons uncertain, but the Falcons have yet to publicly address McCloud’s absence on Thursday. This could be a situation to monitor.
McCloud’s pending status with the team puts the Falcons in a murky spot at pass catcher. They were already a bit thin at the position, but his uncertainty only serves to exacerbate any depth concerns.
The ever-reliable Drake London is fresh off an outstanding performance where he caught 10 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Bills on Monday, but there are some lingering questions for the players behind him.
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney continues to struggle with injuries. The Falcons’ deep threat injured his shoulder on the first day of training camp and did not return until Week 2. He then went down with a hamstring injury in Week 4 and has not seen game action since. In his three appearances this season, Mooney has just seven catches for 79 yards.
In a positive development, Mooney was seen at practice and was available on Thursday in a limited capacity.
Aside from those top two options, the Falcons have training camp standout Casey Washington. The second-year wideout filled in for Mooney this summer and on the field this fall, but has struggled with injuries of his own after picking up a concussion at the end of Week 1 that cost him a few weeks. In three games, he has four catches for 52 yards.
In McCloud’s absence, Deven Thompkins was a practice squad elevation against the Bills. That could be an option this weekend as well.
