Slade

Bolden

Arcega-Whiteside was trying to catch on with the Falcons as a tight end, but ended up being left off the final 53-man roster. As a former wide receiver who is entering his age-26 season, Arcega-Whiteside is quickly running out of opportunities to stick on an NFL roster. In addition to Arcega-Whiteside, the Falcons also released/waived S Micah Abernathy, CB Cornell Armstrong, WR Slade Bolden, CB Breon Borders, CB Natrone Brooks, S Cliff Chattman, DL Carlos Davis, S Lukas Denis, TE Tucker Fisk, LB Frank Ginda, CB Darren Hall, DL Demone Harris, WR Keilahn Harris, OL Jonotthan Harrison, WR Penny Hart, TE Parker Hesse, DL Timmy Horne, RB Godwin Igwebuike, LB Mike Jones Jr. DL LeCale London, WR Zay Malone, OL Michal Menet, DL Caeveon Patton, FB Clint Ratkovich, OL Trevor Reid, WR Matthew Sexton, OL Justin Shaffer, LB Andre Smith Jr., LB Kemoko Turay, OL Tyler Vrabel, RB Carlos Washington Jr., and OL Barry Wesley.

Playing with a laundry list of first-round receivers, it is not surprising Bolden (5'11/189) struggled to produce at Alabama, finishing with a 68-712-4 career line in 30 games. He did not help his case by running a 4.66 40 with a 32-inch vertical and 9-foot-8 broad jump at the Combine. He does have experience on special teams and did a good job finding the soft spots created by the talented receivers around him, but Bolden’s production and athletic red flags make him a long-shot bet in Dynasty drafts.

The ties that Bolden (5'11/191) has with the Patriots are very intriguing. Bolden models his game after former Patriot great Julian Edelman, which isn’t a surprise when you watched him on Saturdays. His offensive coordinator this past season Bill O’Brien talked to him about how he used Wes Welker. The biggest connection is quarterback Mac Jones. The two were roommates in college and became close because of that. Match all that with the Patriots valuing guys like Bolden who also play special teams and it makes too much sense. Come day three, this will be a pairing to watch out for.

Bolden (5'11/194) was never a focal point of the Crimson Tide offense until the National Championship when Jameson Williams went down with an ACL tear early in that game. Mainly in the slot role, he figures to be a late rounder or possibly undrafted. He would play that same role in the league

The Tide were rolling at the beginning of the game, Georgia put more pressure on Bryce Young than in the SEC Championship, but he was moving the ball well. Without John Metchie, Jameson William became the number one option, but a non-contact knee injury would end his day and hinder the Bama offense. It would be TE Cameron Latu that had the big game, but it was Bolden (5'11/194) who Young went to often. Bolden has been more a short route guy and he helped convert some first downs in this game, but you could tell Alabama was struggling to not have that deep threat in Williams to go to.

Bolden (5'11/191), who injured his ankle in last weekend’s win over Kentucky, is fully dressed out and fielding some punts during pregame. That’s good news for the Crimson Tide, as the redshirt sophomore has been used as a punt returner while also chipping in at wide receiver. For the season Bolden has caught 12 passes for 130 yards and returned seven punts for 49 yards.

At this point in the week, no determination has been made regarding Bolden’s availability for Saturday’s game vs. Auburn. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound redshirt sophomore rolled his ankle during this past weekend’s win over Kentucky. Bolden, who saw the majority of his playing time on special teams at the start of the season, has caught 12 passes for 130 yards and returned seven punts for another 49 yards in Alabama’s last three games.

Well that kinda came out of nowhere. With Jaylen Waddle suffering an ankle injury to open the contest, the Crimson Tide had some targets up for grabs, and Bolden (5'11/191) was the recipient of plenty of them. Calling this his best game as a member of Alabama is an understatement; he had two total catches for 34 yards in his previous work -- all of it in 2019. With Waddle done for the year, it seems like there’s a good chance that Bolden is going to see more run going forward. Just keep in mind that Alabama has a stable of quality options behind DeVonta Smith and John Metchie. We’ll see if he’s this involved next Saturday against Mississippi.