The precarious situation between wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud and the Atlanta Falcons didn’t achieve any clarity on Friday.
McCloud, a former sixth-round pick who has become something of a journeyman across the league, was one of the team’s healthy scratches ahead of Monday night’s clash with the Buffalo Bills. The Falcons still managed to end the night with an impressive double-digit victory, but there are certainly questions surrounding McCloud’s status.
On Friday, it was determined by head coach Raheem Morris that McCloud would be listed as one of the Falcons’ healthy scratches for the second consecutive week, shelving him for Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.
McCloud Dismissed by the Falcons
Not only was McCloud sidelined for this week, but Morris decided to send the versatile pass-catcher home altogether on Friday.
“An excused absence,” Morris said, according to Tori McElhaney of the team website. “We are working through some things that are private with the young man, and we will get those things figured out.”
There’s some speculation that McCloud’s possible disdain with the Falcons could stem from the organization’s decision to part ways with his position coach, Ike Hillard. Hillard was fired after the Falcons’ ghastly 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 21, but Morris dismissed any notion that they’re related.
“This is between Ray-Ray, the organization and us,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a disciplinary thing. More of a football thing with something we have to get straightened out.”
The Falcons signed McCloud to a two-year contract worth $5 million dollars in the spring of 2024, and for the most part, it had appeared that they had gotten the bang for their buck. In his first season in Atlanta, McCloud was third on the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, finishing with 62 catches for 686 yards and a touchdown. He’s scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency at the end of the season.
The Cupboard is Bare at WR
It’s not like the Falcons can are in any position to turn their nose up at any reinforcements at wide receiver right now.
Their passing game, engineered by second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., has been funneled almost entirely through Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts. No other player has more than seven receptions through the Falcons’ five games
After falling just shy of a 1,000-yard campaign in 2024, Darnell Mooney was poised for another stellar year in what would’ve been his second in Atlanta. However, that hasn’t gone according to plan. He sustained a shoulder injury during training camp that forced him to miss the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Once he returned on Sept. 14 against the Minnesota Vikings, he had to exit the game after suffering a hamstring injury.
Mooney returned to practice this week and is currently questionable for Sunday. If he’s absent for the fourth consecutive game, the Falcons will turn to Casey Washington and David Sills opposite London.
