Falcons' Ray-Ray McCloud: Getting first-team looks

McCloud got first-team reps this spring and caught some passes from QB Kirk Cousins for big plays, ESPN.com's Marc Raimondi reports.

McCloud mostly served as a return specialist and fourth/fifth WR while playing for four different teams the past six seasons, but he got five starts and 66 targets with the Steelers back in 2021, catching 39 passes for 277 yards en route to a league-low 4.2 yards per target. He may now get another chance at significant snaps on offense, having signed in March with an Atlanta team that has Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore projected as the top three wide receivers. London and Mooney are locked in as starters, and tight end Kyle Pitts will get a significant target share, but Moore was a disappointment in Arizona and could now face competition from McCloud for a No. 3 role that would figure to entail a lot of screen passes, jet sweeps, etc. rather than downfield targets. The Falcons also have KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington as options if they want to go with a more traditional WR and not a vertically challenged YAC specialist like the 5-foot-7 Moore or 5-foot-9 McCloud.