Malik Heath

Falcons Claim WR Malik Heath, Waive S Jordan Fuller

Jayden Reed‘s return led to the Packers waiving fellow receiver Malik HeathThe latter will not make it back to Green Bay on the team’s practice squad.

Heath has been claimed off waivers by the Falcons, the team announced on Monday. The move will give Atlanta needed depth at the receiver spot as Drake London continues to deal with a PCL injury. The Falcons are on a short week as they prepare for a Thursday night game; if London remains sidelined during practice, he will face short odds of being able to play.

Especially with that in mind, today’s Heath acquisition makes plenty of sense. The former UDFA will look to carve out a role with the Falcons down the stretch. Heath has made each of his 37 regular season appearances to date with Green Bay, but that will now change. As part of the Packers’ logjam at the receiver spot, he has yet to log an offensive snap share above 30%. Heath is a pending restricted free agent.

In a corresponding move, veteran safety Jordan Fuller has been waived. The former Ram and Panther has plenty of first-team defensive experience (56 starts in 63 appearances), but he has not been a regular during his time with the Falcons. Fuller has played in six games for Atlanta in 2025, logging only 16 defensive snaps along the way. The 27-year-old will now hit the waiver wire. Fuller will become a free agent if he clears.

After Sunday’s blowout loss, the Falcons sit at 4-9 on the season. A playoff push will certainly not be in store for the final four games of the campaign, but Heath could play his way into a longer look in Atlanta depending on his performances. Fuller, meanwhile, will look to join a contender in time for the postseason.

Packers Activate WR Jayden Reed From IR

After 12 weeks of waiting, the Packers will finally see the 2025 return of wide receiver Jayden Reed. After placing Reed on injured reserve only two weeks into the season, Green Bay has activated him off the injured reserve list. The team waived wide receiver Malik Heath in order to make room for Reed on the 53-man roster.

Reed still had six days remaining on his 21-day practice window, but an early activation is a huge indicator that the 25-year-old pass catcher will be playing tomorrow afternoon against the Bears. It was a broken collarbone that sidelined the third-year receiver in Week 2, but the team utilized the extended absence to address another issue Reed had been dealing with. With clavicle surgery already on the books, Reed also underwent a foot operation for a Jones fracture he had been attempting to play through coming into the season.

It turned out to be a great move as reports came out about a month ago that Reed’s foot issues had been fully healed. There was no action bringing him back to practice just yet, since his clavicle still had some healing to do. It wouldn’t be until about two weeks ago that the Packers would designate Reed to return, and here he comes, just in time for Week 14.

The Packers’ young receiving corps mostly came in together, with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs getting drafted in 2022 and Reed and Dontayvion Wicks hearing their names called the next year. Quarterback Jordan Love has done a great job of spreading the ball around to the talented quartet over the last three seasons, but Reed has proven to be a top target in the Green Bay offense.

As a rookie, Reed led the team in receptions (64) and receiving yards (793) and tied with Doubs for the team-lead in receiving touchdowns (8). He certainly benefitted from the absence of Watson for eight games that season, but where Watson might’ve had him on scores (five in nine games), Reed averaged more yards per game over the course of the season. Watson missed two games in Reed’s second season, giving Reed the team-lead in receptions (55) and receiving yards (857) once again, but Reed’s six touchdowns were second on the team behind Watson as the two established themselves as WR1a and WR1b in the Packers offense.

This season, injuries have permeated throughout the receivers room; Doubs is the only wideout to have played in all 12 games thus far. Watson missed the first seven weeks of the season, Wicks missed two games just as Watson returned, and even first-round rookie Matthew Golden has struggled to stay on the field as of late. Doubs perfect attendance has helped him to be the No. 1 target for Love this year as he and tight end Tucker Kraft have kept the passing game afloat.

Watson has been a huge factor since returning from injury, and Reed may still add more on to that. An extremely challenging upcoming four-game stretch that sees the Packers faceoff against the division-leading Bears twice, in addition to the Broncos and Ravens, makes Reed’s timing all the more clutch. Love is looking to have a near full arsenal to throw to as the team attempts to chip away at Chicago’s hold on the NFC North.

Packers Sign 12 UDFAs

With the draft in the rearview mirror, teams’ undrafted free agent contingents are surfacing. The Packers announced theirs, a 12-man class. Here is how that group stacks up:

As was the case last year, 2023 UDFA groups will come in older than the ones in the 2010s. The NCAA’s extraordinary rule change granting players whose careers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic an additional season of eligibility continues to impact college rosters and the NFL. While players atop the draft are mostly unaffected, late-rounders and the UDFA tier will produce plenty of mid-20-somethings.

Benny Sapp III is the son of former Chiefs, Vikings and Dolphins defensive back Benny Sapp Jr. The Division I-FCS product participated in 19 games in 2021, with the pandemic moving FCS and Division II to the spring, and finished his 2022 senior season as an All-American. A Minnesota transfer, Sapp intercepted four passes and forced two fumbles last season. Filiaga spent five seasons at Michigan before joining the Golden Gophers; he worked as Minnesota’s full-time right guard last season.

Heath also made an intraconference transfer, changing Egg Bowl sides by moving from Mississippi State to Ole Miss. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound wideout produced his best season with the Rebels, catching 60 passes for 971 yards and five touchdowns. Watts joins Heath in following a three-wideout Packers draft class. Watts caught eight touchdown passes for the Green Wave last season, averaging 19.9 yards per catch. Pearson

A Florida transfer, Telfort earned first-team All-Conference USA acclaim as the Blazers’ left tackle. Telfort blocked for UAB running back DeWayne McBride; a Vikings fifth-round pick, McBride led Division I-FBS in rushing yards per game last season. Cox totaled eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss for the Gators in 2021 but saw his 2022 season come to an end early due to a dismissal from the team.