The Atlanta Falcons have signed former HBCU football standout Brandon Parker to their roster, per a statement by the team on Tuesday. Parker is a North Carolina A&T alumnus who has played multiple years in the NFL as an offensive tackle.
Parker played at North Carolina A&T from 2013-2017 and was apart of the 2015 and 2017 Celebration Bowl winning Aggie teams who were led by Rod Broadway. Parker’s influence on the Aggies’s offensive line was immense, as he finished 10th in the nation for the Walter Payton Award, typically given to the best offensive player in the FCS. From 2013-2017, three quarterbacks and one wide receiver won the award. An offensive tackle hasn’t won the award since its inception in 1987.
After his time at North Carolina A&T, Parker was selected with the 65th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He went on to play for the Raiders for five seasons, making 59 appearances in games with 33 starts. He recovered from two fumbles during those games.
From 2018 to 21, he participated in at least 11 games per season. In 2021, he recorded the most number of offensive snaps (882, or 77%) and the lowest number (192, or 28%) in 2019. Parker spent the entire 2022 season on injured reserve and did not play on the field. However, he did play in five games for 14 (4%) offensive snaps in 2023.
After the 2023 season, Parker entered free agency and recently signed with the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers during the 2024 Preseason. However, he didn’t make San Francisco’s roster and he now joins the Falcon’s active roster. With the addition of Parker, the Falcons now have 53 players on the team.
Parker is expected to help an offense now led by Kirk Cousins, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered last year. The defensive pressure surely affected Cousins, as he was sacked twice and threw two interceptions in the game. Parker, listed at 6’8″ and 320 pounds, gives Atlanta another stout offensive lineman to protect Cousins in hopes of generating offense.
The Falcons play the Philidelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football next week.
