FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have added another weapon to their receiver room.
Atlanta signed wideout James Washington on Monday evening, according to NFL Network. Washington played with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2018-21, spending the last two years with receivers coach Ike Hilliard, who now holds the same role in Atlanta.
Washington is not only reunited with Hilliard but also Ray-Ray McCloud, a slot receiver and return specialist who held a prominent role with the Steelers in 2020-21.
A second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Washington won the Biletnikoff Award given annually to the best receiver in college football as a senior at Oklahoma State University in 2017.
During his time with the Steelers, Washington played in 60 games with 25 starts. He totaled 114 receptions for 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns on 228 targets.
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound Washington enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2019, turning 80 targets into 44 receptions for 735 yards and three scores. While his numbers dropped in 2020, he scored a career-high five touchdowns.
In his two-year stint with Hilliard, Washington appeared in 31 games and made nine starts. Given 100 targets, the Stamford, Texas, caught 54 passes for 677 yards while finding the endzone seven times.
After his rookie contract expired in the spring of 2022, Washington signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Expected to be a solid complementary asset, Washington instead spent over three months rehabbing a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
Upon returning Dec. 10, Washington played in a pair of games but didn’t record any stats. He joined the New York Giants’ practice squad for the postseason, but did not play in any games.
The 28-year-old Washington spent the 2023 season on a pair of practice squads, starting with the New Orleans Saints and finishing with the Indianapolis Colts.
In Atlanta, Washington will compete to fill out the bottom of Atlanta’s depth chart at receiver, where slot Rondale Moore, veteran KhaDarel Hodge, rookie Casey Washington, former Canadian Football League star Austin Mack and returning practice squad member Josh Ali are currently fighting for the final three spots.
The Falcons will hold their fifth training camp practice at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch, giving Washington his first chance to take the field with his new team.
