Atlanta Falcons Sign Ex All-Pro Returner, WR to Replace Rondale Moore

Jakeem Grant has two All-Pro nods to his name.

Former Chicago Bears receiver Jakeem Grant Sr. signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons wasted little time replacing the void left by receiver Rondale Moore, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Wednesday's joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.

Atlanta has signed receiver Jakeem Grant to a one-year deal, according to NFL Network. The team has not yet announced a corresponding move.

Grant is a two-time second-team All-Pro returner, earning the honors in 2020 and 2021 -- the last two seasons he played. Grant missed the past two campaigns with injuries, suffering a ruptured Achilles in 2022 before tearing his patellar tendon in 2023.

When healthy, Grant is one of the NFL's best returners. He has four punt return touchdowns and two kick return scores to his name.

It's worth noting Moore was listed as Atlanta's first-team punt returner on the depth chart before he went down with a non-contact injury at Baptist Health Training Complex. Grant figures to be a natural replacement.

Grant was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins in 2016, and he spent the first five years of his career and start of his sixth in South Beach. The Chicago Bears traded for Grant in early October 2021, and he proved a worthwhile investment, making his first career Pro Bowl.

As a receiver, Grant has played in 81 games with eight starts. He's caught 100 passes for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 17 carries for 76 yards and a score on the ground.

Age aside, the 31-year-old Grant shares plenty of similarities with the 24-year-old Moore, starting with stature. Moore stands 5-foot-7, 181 pounds, while Grant checks in at 5-foot-6, 170 pounds. Their speed, versatile playmaking and return abilities are among the others.

The Falcons don't know exactly which version of Grant they are getting -- after all, he hasn't played a regular season snap since the 2021 season. But with Moore out and Atlanta lacking a direct replacement on its 90-man roster, Grant makes sense.

Now, it's just a matter of whether sensical turns into productive.