Falcons reportedly work out CFL receiving yardage leader Kenny Lawler

The Falcons have taken a strong interest in players from the Canadian Football League this offseason, having added wide receiver/tight end Brayden Lenius and cornerback DeAundre Alford. Now they’ve reportedly worked out the CFL’s reigning leader in receiving yards, which is welcome given the team’s shaky receiver depth heading into the offseason.

Kudos to 3 Down Nation, which has reported on all the CFL-related signings and workouts for the Falcons to this point.

The 27-year-old Lawler, originally a seventh round selection by the Seahawks back in 2016, moved to the CFL in 2019 and has done well there for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. As 3 Down Nation notes, he led the CFL in yardage last year with 1,014, averaging 15.8 yards per catch and chipping in six touchdowns. At a listed 6’3” and around 200 pounds, he’d be an interesting addition to a Falcons receiving corps that is light on size and light on options with everyone but Calvin Ridley and Frank Darby hitting free agency this offseason. There’s no report of a signing to go with the workout at this point, but we’ll see what’s next.

This interest in CFL players shouldn’t come as a surprise given Terry Fontenot’s history with the Saints. When he was in New Orleans’ front office as a pro personnel executive, the team added multiple CFL standouts to the roster. Some of those players, like cornerback Delvin Breaux and linebacker Wynton McManis, didn’t quite work out. Others, like 2021 Falcons starting safety Erik Harris, certainly did. A team light on talent and in search of affordable additions with some upside, the Falcons are wise to explore every avenue they can when building the roster, and all three players from the CFL they’ve either signed or worked out to this point do look intriguing.

This won’t be the last CFL signing or workout we hear about from this front office, is what I’m getting at. We’ll see if Lawler ends up joining the Falcons in the relatively near future.