Yesterday, I stumped for the Falcons to add more talent at cornerback. Today, they’ve done so, though it’s a signing meant to build depth rather than replacing a potential starter.
They’ve signed former Raider and Giant Darnay Holmes, who will be 28 when the season starts, to give themselves more help on defense and special teams. Holmes will be competing with a fairly crowded group of would-be reserve cornerbacks in 2026, a group that currently includes Clark Phillips, C.J. Henderson, Natrone Brooks,
and Cobee Bryant. The former fourth round pick will be aiming to land a spot as a reserve option at the nickel.
While he’s not yet 28 years old, Holmes has a ton of NFL experience, having appeared in 83 games with 12 career starts. Holmes has been a steady tackler throughout his career, which has been a boon for his teams on special teams when he’s received heavy snaps there, but has been less consistent both in coverage and as a run defender. He’s coming off a season where he allowed two touchdowns and 282 yards on 32 targets and 173 snaps, though he allowed a career-low 62.5% completion percentage for quarterbacks targeting him. Critically, he’s mostly played nickel in the NFL and is an aggressive, physical player with the aforementioned reliable tackling skills and special teams experience, which gives him a real shot at locking up a spot behind Billy Bowman Jr. on the depth chart. His track record suggests he can be a fine fill-in and spot starter, but long-term starting will likely go less smoothly.
Give Holmes a warm welcome, and we’ll see where he ends up on the depth chart this fall.
