The Atlanta Falcons decided to move on from their 2017 first-round pick on Monday, waiving DE Takkarist McKinley after three and a half seasons with the team.
The move caught those around the NFL off guard, but those paying attention to the Falcons over the past few weeks probably saw it coming. McKinley didn’t last long on waivers, though, landing with the Bengals on Wednesday.
Once he was claimed by Cincinnati, McKinley returned to Twitter to say thank you to the organization that drafted him.
Thank you @AtlantaFalcons for the opportunity to realize a life long dream/goal. And thank you to the fans and the city of Atlanta…
— Takkarist McKinley (@Takk) November 11, 2020
In the 49 games (25 starts) that McKinley has played since being drafted by Atlanta in 2017, the former UCLA standout racked up 79 tackles, 17.5 sacks and 45 QB hits.
