Pro Football Rumors
After successful stints in the UFL, edge defender Keshawn Banks and defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell are returning to the NFL. The Falcons have signed Banks and Maxwell, per reports from Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Banks, who played college football at San Diego State, signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Although he did not see any regular-season action as a rookie, the Packers elevated Banks from their practice squad ahead of a divisional playoff matchup against the 49ers. He took the field for 11 snaps (nine on special teams, two on defense) in a 24-21 loss. That proved to be Banks’ last game with the Packers, who waived him during final cuts in August 2024.
Banks caught on with the Patriots’ practice squad a few weeks after the Packers let him go. The 6-foot-3, 251-pounder got into three games with New England and played 61 snaps, all of which came on special teams. The Pats waived him that December, and though he quickly joined the Cardinals’ practice squad, they did not elevate him for any games.
Banks was out of the league for a while after his short stay with the Cardinals ended, but he is coming back on the heels of an impressive season with the UFL’s Orlando Storm. After he led the league with 11 tackles for loss and tallied five sacks, the Falcons hosted Banks for a tryout Monday. He did enough to earn a contract and will now join a group of edge defenders led by James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker. Samson Ebukam, Azeez Ojulari, Cameron Thomas, DeAngelo Malone and Bralen Trice are also in the mix as depth. Pearce may have to serve a suspension stemming from an offseason arrest on three felony charges. If that happens, it could give Banks a better chance to earn a roster spot.
Maxwell, a Tennessee-Chattanooga product, was also part of the undrafted class in 2023. The Bengals signed Maxwell after the draft, but a summer knee injury torpedoed his chances of making their roster. He stayed with the Bengals until they cut him in August 2024. Maxwell then moved to the UFL, where he spent the past couple of years with the DC Defenders. The 6-1, 284-pounder totaled 23 tackles, seven TFL and four sacks over 10 games in 2026.
Maxwell will now attempt to carve out a role on an Atlanta team that lost starting defensive tackle David Onyemata to the Jets in free agency. The Falcons also traded Ruke Orhorhoro to the Jaguars for Maason Smith in a swap of D-tackles. Smith, Brandon Dorlus, Da’Shawn Hand, Chris Williams, Zach Harrison, LaCale London and sixth-round rookie Anterio Thompson are among the players ahead of Maxwell in the pecking order.
