Falcon Report

Falcons Sign Rival's Former CB

The Atlanta Falcons added a former Carolina Panthers cornerback on March 14.

Dave Holcomb

Former Carolina Panthers cornerback Keith Taylor Jr.
Former Carolina Panthers cornerback Keith Taylor Jr. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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The Atlanta Falcons further bolstered their defense on March 14.

The team announced Friday it signed cornerback Keith Taylor to a contract.

"Taylor comes to Atlanta after one season with the Kansas City Chiefs in which he made 11 appearances with five tackles," wrote Atlantafalcons.com's Terrin Waack. "In those games, Taylor took 11% of the defensive snaps and 47% of the specials teams snaps. So, he offers the Falcons experience in two phases but his greatest experience has come on special teams."

Before joining the Chiefs organization, Taylor played two years for the Carolina Panthers from 2021-22.

The Panthers drafted Taylor at No. 166 overall in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Taylor started three games as a rookie, playing in all 17 contests during 2021. The cornerback also appeared in 17 games, making two starts, in 2022.

During those 34 games, Taylor posted 67 combined tackles, including one for loss. He also registered six pass defenses, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Heading into his third season during 2023, Taylor didn't make the Panthers roster after the preseason. The organization released Taylor on the final roster cutdown day.

Two days later, he joined the Chiefs. Taylor spent the 2023 season on the team's practice squad. The cornerback rejoined the Chiefs practice squad to begin the 2024 season.

In October, Kansas City signed Taylor from its practice squad to the active roster. Taylor posted five combined tackles in those 11 games.

With the Panthers, Taylor split his time between defense and special teams. Taylor primarily focused on special teams while playing for the Chiefs although he also played a little on defense.

Overall, Taylor lined up for 132 snaps on special teams and 79 defensive snaps during 2024.

If the 26-year-old makes the Falcons roster in 2025, he will probably have a similar role. More than likely, he's a candidate for the Atlanta practice squad at the beginning of the 2025 regular season.

Taylor is the eighth cornerback the Falcons have under contract for the upcoming offseason. This week, the Falcons re-signed cornerback Mike Huges and added free agent cornerback Mike Ford to add secondary depth to the roster.

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB

Dave is a staff writer at Falcon Report. He also writes at Yardbarker, Southern Pigskin, Cox Media, and Rotowire. Follow him on Twitter @dmholcomb.