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The mysterious absence of wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III added another layer of strange on Tuesday when the Falcons announced that they had released him.
McCloud, 29, was sent home by the Falcons last week after he was a healthy scratch during Week 6’s “Monday Night Football win over the Bills.
Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris was tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the wideout and didn’t provide any updates on where things stood when he spoke with reporters on Monday after their Week 7 loss to the 49ers.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III (34) runs onto the field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brett Davis-Imagn Images“None yet,” he said in response to a question if there was an update on McCloud, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Obviously, going through the process right now, [talking] with him. But that’s the distraction that I’m dealing with, no one else.”
McCloud played in the first four games of the season for the Falcons, recording six catches for 64 yards, but has not played since.
Morris denied that the issue had anything to do with the firing of Falcons wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard following the Week 3 loss to the Panthers.
Hilliard and McCloud were close, and the assistant’s presence was part of the reason the receiver signed with the Falcons before the 2024 season.
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“Not related at all,” Morris said last week. “This is between Ray-Ray, the organization and us. Dealing with those things … I was close to Ike.”
It was also unclear if the issue was disciplinary, with Morris describing it as “more of a football thing with something we have to get straightened out.”
Ray-Ray McCloud III of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 15, 2025 in Atlanta, United States. Getty ImagesMcCloud started 14 games and played in all 17 last year, recording 62 catches for 686 yards.
He has not made any public comments about the release, and his last post on his X account came on Saturday in support of the Falcons before they lost 20-10 to the 49ers.
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