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Former New England Patriots edge rusher Keshawn Banks signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday.
Edge rusher Keshawn Banks received his first opportunity in an NFL regular season game with the New England Patriots. Banks will get his next chance in the NFC South.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday the Atlanta Falcons signed Banks to their offseason roster.
“The Falcons are signing edge rusher Keshawn Banks, the latest UFL player to land with an NFL team,” wrote Garafolo. “Banks, an undrafted free agent with the Packers in 2023 who played three games for the Patriots in ’24, had five sacks and a league-high 11 TFLs this season for the UFL Storm.”
As Garafolo mentioned, Banks played this past spring for the Orlando Strom in the UFL. Before that, he appeared in three contests for the Patriots.
In those three contests, Banks played 61 snaps on special teams.
GettyFormer New England Patriots edge rusher Keshawn Banks signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday.
Banks will get another crack at the NFL after a couple years away from the league.
He began as an undrafted free agent for the Green Bay Packers. Banks spent his rookie campaign on the Packers practice squad and made his NFL debut during the playoffs.
Banks played for Green Bay during the NFC divisional round in January 2024.
The Packers released the edge rusher after the 2024 preseason. He joined the Patriots practice squad in October 2024.
With New England, Banks played in three straight games from Weeks 11-13. He never played on defense but averaged 20 special teams snaps per contest.
The Patriots released Banks on December 10. After a brief stint on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad, Banks joined the UFL.
In 10 contests for the Storm, he posted 24 combined tackles, two pass breakups and one forced fumble to go with his 11 tackles for loss and five sacks.
GettyEdge rusher Keshawn Banks played for the New England Patriots before Mike Vrabel become head coach.
Banks played for the Patriots when Jerod Mayo was head coach. New England parted ways with Banks before Mayo’s firing, but with Mike Vrabel in charge, Banks hasn’t appeared to be on the team’s radar for a return.
After a strong UFL campaign, though, the edge rusher will get his shot with the Falcons.
Banks spent his college career at San Diego State. In five seasons, he posted 13 sacks with 42 tackles for loss in 59 games.
He also had four pass defenses and one forced fumble with 139 combined tackles. As a senior, Banks had 3.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss.
NFL Draft Buzz argued in 2023 Banks didn’t have the traits to play at the next level. But the draft website did highlight the edge rusher for his instincts and toughness.
“He can move laterally and chase in pursuit,” wrote NFL Draft Buzz. “A tough, violent tackler with a non-stop motor, he also shows good awareness when dropping into coverage.
“He shows impressive burst and enough quickness to occasionally threaten the edge as a pass rusher.
“He has excellent motor and shows the stamina to last deep into the fourth quarter.”
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and a variety of other NFL teams. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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