Falcons Sign Former New York Giants Starting CB
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The Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday signed veteran cornerback Corey Ballentine to a reserve/future contract. He joins the 17 other players who were signed on Monday.
The move ties Ballentine to the Falcons during offseason and will give him a chance to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster in the spring and summer.
Ballentine is a three-year veteran of the NFL who was originally a sixth-round pick in 2019 by the New York Giants out of Washburn University, a Division II school in Kansas.
Ballentine played 22 games with four starts in 2019 and 2020 for the Giants totaling 26 tackles. He opened the 2020 season as the starter, but was waived midway through his second season and picked up by the New York Jets.
He played four games this season, exclusively on special teams, for the Detroit Lions.
The Atlanta Falcons are looking high and low to build their depth for the offseason including heading to Canada for players like defensive back Dee Alford and tight end Brayden Lenius.
Alford was a starting cornerback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Lenius played wide receiver for the BC Lions.
Defensive back seems to be of particular interest to general manager Terry Fontenot already this offseason. After A.J. Terrell, who was named Pro Football Focus All-Pro this week, the Falcons struggled at cornerback.
Pro Football Focus rated Fabian Moreau, the starter opposite Terrell, as the 90th ranked corner of 120 eligible in the NFL.
The Falcons have the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft and cornerback could be an option depending how the previous seven pick go. LSU's Derek Stingley Jr., Clemson's Andrew Booth, and Cincinnati's Sauce Gardner are cornerbacks considered top-10 talents.
