The situation involving Ray-Ray McCloud III and the Atlanta Falcons has quickly gone from weird to bizarre. Excellent at the WR3 role last year, he seemed like a critically important piece of the puzzle for the growth of their first-round quarterback, Michael Penix Jr.
However, an extremely slow start to the 2025 season led the team to give him a healthy scratch in their best win, a 24-14 rout over the Buffalo Bills.
From there, the situation turned more complicated the following week. Eventually, he was shockingly released from the team entirely, leaving him to find a new squad to join midway through the season. After the decision was made official without rhyme or reason, head coach Raheem Morris finally spilled the beans on the rationale behind the roster shakeup.
Why Was Ray-Ray McCloud III Released?
A sixth-round pick out of Clemson, McCloud was drafted by the Buffalo Bills primarily for his abilities as a punt returner. However, during his tenure in the league, he also evolved into a true wide receiver threat, as his opportunities increased.
After a two-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, he signed with Atlanta in 2024. Wide receiver head coach Ike Hilliard factored heavily into his decision. But after Hilliard was fired last week, McCloud’s disappointment at the situation was palpable.
Calling him the best coach he’d ever had, he said his firing was a clear sign of the NFL having no loyalty. Under Hilliard and the Falcons offense, McCloud had the best season of his career in 2024, totaling 686 receiving yards.
Last season, he ranked 64th on PFSN’s WR Impact. But this year, he’s fallen out of the 84-player list, who have a grade of 50.0 or higher, entirely.
At the time, his absence was explained as a “football thing.” But, after he was fired, the media wanted more answers from Morris. A beat writer for the team, D. Orlando Ledbette, provided an update on X.
He wrote, “#Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Ray-Ray McCloud was released for performance base concerns and they had to do what’s best for the football team. (Used similar wording with the firing of WR coach Ike Hilliard).”
It is impossible to be 100% sure, but it seems likely that the two firings were related in one way or another. This year, McCloud had totaled just 64 receiving yards in four games. So, it is possible that the team wanted to shift focus to the talents of Drake London and Bijan Robinson instead.
Immediately after, the veteran wide receiver was picked up by the New York Giants, who signed him to their practice squad, after injuries had decimated their wide receiver room throughout the season.
