Atlanta Falcons 2020 Season Preview: Khari Lee

After a productive stint in the XFL, Khari Lee is receiving his second chance at NFL life. He'll compete to be Hayden Hurst's primary backup in Atlanta.

Khari Lee was one of the lucky ones.

He escaped the XFL a month before the league officially folded and with his career in better shape than when he joined.

He signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in March, becoming the fourth former XFL player to ink an NFL contract.

Lee, 28, had experienced NFL life before, playing four seasons as a journeyman backup tight end. After going undrafted out of Bowie State in 2015, Lee bounced from Houston to Chicago to Detroit to Buffalo.

The Bills shocked him with a pink slip halfway through the 2018 season. He spent a year out of football — selling real estate of all things — and thought his career might be over.

“When you sit there and you really look at it,” Lee said, “do I hang up my cleats, or do I give it another run? You have to sit down and be very realistic with yourself. Where are your chances? What are your odds? And the XFL came about, and they gave me an opportunity. I’m forever grateful.”

He took advantage of the opportunity with the DC Defenders, catching all eight of his targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns before the coronavirus pandemic ended the team’s season after five games in mid-March.

a big athletic tight end who can move 😤 pic.twitter.com/2dMnObXPrJ

— D.C. Defenders (@XFLDefenders) March 25, 2020

“I would say that it made me feel good to know that I could still go out there and compete at a high level,” Lee said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

PREVIOUS NFL EXPERIENCE

In Lee’s previous NFL stint, he never received much playing time.

He saw the field most during his rookie season with the Bears, appearing in all 16 games, starting seven. He caught one pass for seven yards.

He hasn’t started an NFL game or played more than eight contests in a single season since.

Lee’s current NFL stat line: 34 games, two catches, 12 yards.

HIS ROLE IN ATLANTA

The Falcons invested in Hayden Hurst this offseason, trading for him to replace the departed Austin Hooper as the starting tight end. Lee will compete with four players — Jaedan Graham, Carson Meier, Jared Pinkney and Caleb Repp — to be the primary backup. Graham and Meier were with the Falcons last season. Pinkney and Repp were picked up as undrafted free agents.

At 6-foot-4 and 258 pounds, Lee’s main strength is his blocking ability, but he proved his receiving skills in the XFL. He also has experience on special teams.

“I’m just coming in trying to compete and trying to do whatever the team needs me to do,” Lee told the AJC. “With this virus and stuff going around, we haven’t really gotten into the specifics, but I’m just trying to help the team in any way I can.”

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