Deone

Bucannon

Atlanta is the latest team to give up on the Cardinals’ former first-round pick. Dating back to 2018, he’s been with four teams over the last two calendar years. The Falcons needed the roster spot to activate DE Steven Means from the COVID-19 list.

The ex-Cardinals bust played 244 forgettable snaps for the G-Men in 2019. Bucannon’s hybrid skill-set ended up making him a jack of all trades, master of none as an NFLer. 2020 will be his age-28 campaign.

The 2014 first-round bust was waived by the Bucs 13 days ago. In theory, 27-year-old Bucannon brings versatility to a defense. In reality, he will probably begin as a healthy scratch and is unlikely to make it more than a few weeks in the Big Apple.

A former first-round pick of the Cardinals when coach Bruce Arians was also in Arizona, Bucannon never made an impact in his first five games with the Bucs. He played just eight defensive snaps and was mainly active on special teams.

The deal comes with a $1.45 million base salary and a $1.05 million signing bonus. Bucannon was a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2014 when coach Bruce Arians and DC Todd Bowles were in the desert, so he’s reuniting with his old coaches. Bucannon could slot right in as a replacement for LB Kwon Alexander, who left for a big payday with the 49ers this week. Bucannon simply didn’t fit in coach Steve Wilks’ defense in Arizona and wasn’t used for long stretches.

The Arizona castaway would be reuniting with ex-Cardinals DC James Bettcher in New York. Ex-first rounder Bucannon is coming off a rough couple of years in the desert.

A first-round pick in 2014, Bucannon doesn’t seem to be fitting in with new coach Steve Wilks’ defense. He’s playing this season on an $8.718 million club option and will be a free agent after the season, so it’s going to be really hard to find a team willing to take on that salary. Bucannon’s gone from playing 100% of the snaps in Week 1 to one snap in Week 3 and four snaps in Week 5. He has received atrocious run-defense and poor pass-coverage marks from Pro Football Focus.

It’s yet to be decided if Bucannon needs surgery. The hybrid 2014 first-rounder took a step back this year after a strong 2015. Still only 24, Bucannon could easily get back on track in 2016. Bucannon filled the stat-sheet in 2015 in IDP leagues.

Bucannon got his ankle caught under a teammate while trying to make a tackle in the third quarter. He was able to walk off the field and to the locker room, but he had a noticeable limp. Zaviar Gooden is now in at inside linebacker.

Picked 27th overall in 2014, Bucannon was a college safety who has made a mostly-smooth transition to linebacker. He had a big year in 2015, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 10 inside linebacker, but Bucannon dipped all the way to No. 40 last season. He received really strong marks for his pass coverage, but was No. 54 of 59 qualifiers against the run.