Falcons elevate WR Chris Blair and CB Kevin King from practice squad to active roster for Week 1 vs. Steelers

The two are standard practice squad elevations for the home opener.

The Falcons announced Saturday that cornerback Kevin King and wide receiver Chris Blair have been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster. The move comes ahead of the Falcons’ home opener on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad for game days without clearing room for them on the 53-man roster. The catch is that teams can only elevate each practice squad player a maximum of three times during the regular season. So for instance, if the Falcons elevate Kevin King in Weeks 1, 2, and 3, and they wanted him on the active roster for Week 4, they would have to cut someone else and move him to the active roster.

King played in all three preseason games, finishing with six tackles and one pick — which led to a Falcons touchdown in the preseason opener vs. the Dolphins. Our own Jamel Johnson named King the Falcoholic’s Surprise Player of the Preseason.

Entering preseason, King didn’t have to play very well to exceed expectations, as they weren’t too high to begin with. However, he surprised me with his level of play as he put his veteran cornerback skills on full display. His first game against Miami was particularly impressive, as he jumped a crossing route midway through the first quarter hauling in the interception, returning it for 29 yards. He also played very well in one-on-one coverage, finishing the game with two passes defended, and forced a fumble after a completed pass that would end up going out of bounds.

While his effort wouldn’t yield him a spot on the final 53-man roster, he was signed to the practice squad, which is still a huge accomplishment for a player who has been removed from professional football as long as he has. The Falcons may need his veteran experience and leadership at the position as the season rolls along.

Blair also played in all three preseason games, and he was on the Falcons’ practice squad last season. The team elevated him to the active roster for Week 12 against the Saints. He played some snaps on both offense and special teams, though he didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Blair was also a winner of a prestigious Falcoholic preseason award from Jamel, who named Blair the Preseason MVP.

Blair finished the preseason with 154 yards on just 8 receptions, averaging an impressive 19.3 yards per catch. He proved to be a reliable target all throughout preseason for Taylor Heinicke in particular, catching passes in traffic, and showing versatility within the first, second, and third levels. His best game came in Week 2 when he caught four receptions for 91 yards in a 12-13 loss to the Ravens.

During this game, he routinely exploited holes in coverages and showed ability to grind out a decent amount of yards after catch. While the bulk of his workload came against second and third team defenses, and these holes wouldn’t be nearly as large against first team units, I think there is still much to build off of from his performances, especially considering he was operating within a skeleton offensive scheme. Unfortunately for Blair, he was released in the Falcons final round of roster cuts; however, he was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. If the Falcons are unable to snag a quality free agent receiver to bolster the pass catcher core before the season starts, Blair may be an enticing option to elevate to the active roster early on in the year.

When Raheem Morris and the other coaches talk about the roster, they don’t talk about the 53, or even the 55 (with practice squad elevations). Morris called it “the extension” of the roster back on Aug. 23, and he talked about King and Blair specifically (and Carlos Washington).

“I got so much respect for all those guys, the guys that you just named, included with the other guys that we got, that I feel really confident right off the bat of being able to flex [some] guys up and exactly what role they’re going to play for us right now,” Morris said. “And those roles obviously get increased as you go throughout a season, and you can prepare, practice and do different things. But like we talked about, injuries happen, you got to have people up. And you’ve got the tool of being able to flex people up nowadays. And that really made it an extension of our roster, especially getting three flexes a person [per season].”

We’ll see what tomorrow holds for King and Blair at 1 p.m. ET when the Falcons open the season at home against the Steelers.