John Atkins (American football)

John Atkins
Profile
PositionNose tackle
Personal information
Born (1992-12-21) December 21, 1992
Thomson, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High schoolThomson
CollegeGeorgia
NFL draft2018: undrafted
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
  • All-USFL Team (2023)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles22
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Johnathan Bandavious Atkins (born December 21, 1992) is an American professional football nose tackle. He played college football at Georgia, and has been a member of the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons.

College career

Atkins spent five seasons as a member of Georgia Bulldogs, redshirting his freshman year.[1] During his redshirt senior season, Atkins made 38 tackles, including one for a loss, as the Bulldogs' starting nose tackle.[2] He finished his collegiate career with 81 total tackles, 3.5 for loss, five pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in 48 games played.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in
(1.90 m)		 321 lb
(146 kg)		 34 in
(0.86 m)		 9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 5.38 s 4.75 s 7.95 s 24.0 in
(0.61 m)		 7 ft 5 in
(2.26 m)
All values from NFL Combine[4]

New England Patriots

Atkins signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2018.[5] Considered a long shot to make the team, Atkins was cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp on September 1, 2018.[6][7]

Detroit Lions

Atkins was signed to the Detroit Lions' practice squad on September 3, 2018.[8] Atkins was waived by the team on November 30, 2018, but subsequently re-signed to the practice squad.[9] Aktins was promoted to the Lions' Active roster on December 18, 2018, after defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand was placed on injured reserve.[10] Atkins made his NFL debut on December 23, 2018, in a 27–9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, making two tackles (one for loss).[11]

On August 31, 2019, Atkins was waived by the Lions as part of final roster cuts, but was signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[12][13] He was promoted to the active roster on October 14.[14] Atkins played in 12 games during the 2019 season, including six starts, and made 20 tackles.[15]

On July 29, 2020, Atkins announced he was opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] He was waived after the season on June 2, 2021.[17]

Atlanta Falcons

On June 17, 2021, Atkins signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[18] He was waived on August 14.[19]

Tampa Bay Bandits

On February 23, 2022, Atkins was drafted in the 2022 USFL draft by the Tampa Bay Bandits.[20]

Memphis Showboats

Atkins and all other Tampa Bay Bandits players were all transferred to the Memphis Showboats after it was announced that the Bandits were taking a hiatus and that the Showboats were joining the league.[21] Atkins was named to the 2023 All USFL Team. He re-signed with the Showboats on December 6, 2023,[22] and again on August 26, 2024.[23]

On April 11, 2025, Atkins was placed on injured reserve.[24]

References

  1. ^ Butt, Jason (March 31, 2018). "John Atkins spent six years as an amateur football player. Now, it's off to the NFL 'to get some money'". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  2. ^ Rowe, Jake (January 14, 2018). "At least four UGA players invited to NFL Combine thus far". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Phelps, Chris (May 26, 2019). "Countdown to Georgia football (historical edition): Number 97 John Atkins". UGA Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  4. ^ "Johnathan Atkins Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Herbert, Michael (April 29, 2018). "Free agency roundup: Undrafted former Georgia players sign with NFL teams". The Red & Black. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  6. ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (August 5, 2018). "New England Patriots 2018 roster breakdown: #TBD DT John Atkins". PatsPulpit.com. SB Nation. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Daniels, Mark (September 1, 2018). "Patriots cut 26 players with more moves to come". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Atkins, Nate (September 3, 2018). "Lions cut LB Trevor Bates and sign a DT to finalize practice squad". MLive.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Schlitt, Erik (November 30, 2018). "Lions add WR Deontez Alexander to practice squad, waive DT John Atkins". Lions Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Rogers, Justin (December 18, 2018). "Lions place rookie Da'Shawn Hand on injured reserve". The Detroit News. USA Today. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "John Atkins Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  12. ^ "Detroit Lions establish 53-man roster". DetroitLions.com. August 31, 2019.
  13. ^ Meinke, Kyle (September 1, 2019). "Detroit Lions sign 10 players to practice squad". MLive.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  14. ^ "Lions sign DT John Atkins to active roster". DetroitLions.com. October 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Twentyman, Tim (January 8, 2020). "2019 Position Breakdown: Defensive line". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Rogers, Justin (July 29, 2020). "Lions DT John Atkins opting out of 2020 season". DetroitNews.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  17. ^ Birkett, Dave (June 2, 2021). "Detroit Lions waive DT John Atkins, who opted out of 2020 NFL season due to COVID concerns". Freep.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  18. ^ "Falcons sign four free agents". AtlantaFalcons.com. June 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "Falcons waive four players, one with injury designation". Falcons Wire. USA Today. August 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Proto, Nick (February 23, 2022). "Former Thomson, UGA star drafted to USFL". WALB.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  21. ^ Knight, Joey. "Tampa Bay Bandits won't play in United States Football League in 2023". tampabay.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  22. ^ @USFLShowboats (December 6, 2023). "Free Agent Signing" (Tweet). Retrieved December 7, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ @UFL_PR (August 26, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Larsen, James. "Battlehawks Cut Sam Wiglusz, Showboats Lose John Atkins". PFnewsroom.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
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