It’s a return for Black, who spent part of the summer of 2022 with Atlanta.
The Atlanta Falcons worked out veteran safety Jordan Whitehead yesterday, making it clear they were looking to add to their safety room as training camp rolls on and preseason approaches. That turned out to be a safe assumption, though Whitehead is not the player they ultimately signed.
That would be Henry Black, most recently of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, as the team reports. In a corresponding move, the Falcons released ex-CFL wide receiver Makai Polk, who had been with the team since January.
This is Black’s second stint in Atlanta, as he signed around this time (July 28, to be exact) in 2022 and was with the team until cutdowns on August 30. Black has mostly bounced around since entering the league in 2020, but the physical safety did appear in 25 games with the Green Bay Packers in his first two seasons and piling up 46 tackles, an interception, and two forced fumbles. The bulk of his work for Green Bay came on special teams, and if he’s able to push others off the roster and hang on as the fifth safety come roster cutdowns, that will be his expected role in Atlanta. His only real competition for that spot—be it on the roster or as the de facto fifth option on the practice squad—is veteran Josh Thompson, also primarily a special teamer.
Per Josh Kendall at The Athletic, the team may have felt they didn’t have enough safety depth with just four established options and Thompson heading into preseason, which makes sense. To add that depth, they made a cut at one of the deepest positions on the roster, though it may not be a permanent move.
The Falcons have signed S Henry Black and released WR Makai Polk. Atlanta had concerns about safety depth, said Raheem Morris, who hinted Polk might end up back on the roster at some point.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) July 31, 2025
The move to cut Polk, a CFL standout last year, does very little to clarify the depth battle at wide receiver. New signing DJ Chark looks likely to grab a spot with Darnell Mooney’s status uncertain heading into the season, and players like Nick Nash, Chris Blair, and David Sills have had standout moments so far this summer. If the Falcons still like Polk, they could bring him back later on and look to stash him on the practice squad, but they won’t lack for options in August and beyond if they don’t do so. We wish him well if he’s not back with Atlanta.