FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons have parted ways with one of their summer standouts and feel-good stories.
Atlanta released cornerback Kevin King on Friday, the team announced in a press release. King was seen at his locker before the Falcons' practice at 11:45 a.m. Friday, four hours before he was cut.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound King enjoyed a strong preseason with the Falcons, collecting six tackles, two passes defended, one interception and a forced fumble. He didn't make the team out of camp, serving as a surprise exclusion from the 53-man roster.
But King re-signed to the team's practice squad and was elevated to the active roster for Week 1. Prior to Week 2, the Falcons placed linebacker Nate Landman on injured reserve and signed King to the active roster full-time.
King, 29, played in each of the Falcons' five games thus far, making two tackles. He's played just five defensive snaps, allowing one catch for 13 yards while working mostly on special teams -- King saw 41 snaps in the game's third phase, good for 31% of Atlanta's total.
Before signing with the Falcons in April, King had been out of football for two years. He sat out the 2022 season due to personal reasons and tore his Achilles during offseason training in 2023.
A second-round pick in 2017 out of the University of Washington, King was with the Green Bay Packers through 2021. He was coached by Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake at Washington and Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray in Green Bay.
But ultimately, King finds himself back on the open market ahead of Week 6 -- and the Falcons have an open roster space, which could very well go right back to Landman.
