SE Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When Raheem Morris returned to the Falcons' training facility in February as the team's new head coach, he didn't know much about Chris Blair. The wide receiver would soon become a familiar face.

Blair spent the 2023 season on the Falcons practice squad and was signed to a future/reserve contract before Morris was hired. During the early portion of the offseason, Blair was often in the building either lifting in the weight room with cornerback A.J. Terrell or running sprints on the field. This was before the Falcons even hired their strength and conditioning coach. Morris quickly took notice.

"He was in there working," Morris said. "Every single day, he would just walk by me. I was always too embarrassed to ask him, 'Hey, what's your name?'"

But the head coach would soon learn it.

Once OTAs began in May, Blair started to make a name for himself, but Morris didn't put too much stock in the non-contact practices. He wanted to see more. He did once training camp and preseason began.

The receiver had a strong camp, developing an on-field rapport with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. That relationship shone through in the Falcons' first exhibition game against the Miami Dolphins.

Blair recorded 45 receiving yards on two catches, one of which was a 41-yard toss from Penix down the right sideline on a well-executed deep route. He finished the preseason tied for third among all NFL receivers with 156 receiving yards in three games.

"It's a different feeling. Adrenaline was up, just being out there in Hard Rock, it's a stadium I've always seen on TV," Blair said of the first preseason game. "But actually being able to play in there and actually get to make plays in the stadium, it was a dream come true. Because everybody dreams of being in the NFL and making those types of plays. I'm glad I got the chance to do so."

Each team will have to cut their 90-man rosters down to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and the Falcons will have to decide whether Blair will be on it.

Blair understands this; he's already familiar with life in the NFL. The receiver emerged from Alcorn State, a Southwestern Athletic Conference school in Mississippi. He played his final collegiate season in 2019. He initially worked out for the Green Bay Packers in August of 2020 before finally joining that team in January of 2021. He spent the 2021 season on their practice squad.

After a season away, Blair got another chance with Atlanta in 2023. He made his regular-season debut in Week 12 versus New Orleans Saints but didn't record a reception and played most snaps on special teams—an area where Blair has tried to carve out a role for himself.

"Being undrafted, you have to find your role on the team," Blair said "(For) a lot of guys it's special teams because you got guys like Drake London, Darnell Mooney on offensive side who pretty much got those spots locked down."

As Blair mentioned, London and Mooney are locks for roster spots along with Ray-Ray McCloud and Casey Washington as potential candidates due to their draft status or special teams skills.

So is there room for Blair? Last season Atlanta carried five wide receivers on its initial roster while Morris' previous team carried six wide receivers last year—a situation that might favor Blair given Rondale Moore's placement on injured reserve creating an opening.

Regardless of what Morris decides about final cuts, Blair has already made his presence known within organization.

"Those kind of kids always make it tough on you during these times," Morris said.