Atlanta Falcons sign WR Eric Weems to one-year contract

There has been some fear that the Atlanta Falcons do not possess enough depth on the outside, and while that issue may persist in the event of injury to either Roddy White or Julio Jones, the team made an effort to correct the problem on Thursday afternoon. The Falcons announced on Thursday that they have signed free agent wide receiver/kick returner Eric Weems to a one-year contract, and they have waived wide receiver Jabin Sambrano to create the roster spot.

Vaughn McClure of ESPN first reported the contract details seen above, and he also reports that Weems nearly signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans before the deal “hit a snag”. The now 29-year-old Weems was a contributor for the Falcons from 2007 through 2011, but the great majority of his contributions came in the return game, where he was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl.

Weems has never caught more than 11 balls in a season, but immediately, he would theoretically become the backup to Devin Hester in the return game while providing the offense with a downfield threat if they choose to deploy him in that way.