FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Takk McKinley has all the motivation he needs heading into the 2020 NFL season.
The fourth-year defensive end is still smarting from the Atlanta Falcons’ decision to decline his fifth-year option. He wants to prove the team made a mistake.
“They made their decision, and it’s lit a fire under me and that’s cool,” McKinley said Saturday. “It’s got me in the best shape of my life. It’s got me doing things to make my game better, and hopefully it will all work out for me this season.”
McKinley finished last year with 3.5 sacks, the lowest production of his career. He missed the final two games after incurring his third shoulder injury in four years.
It was a considerable disappointment for McKinley, a former UCLA standout and the 26th overall pick of the 2017 draft, but he decided to work out Monday through Saturday during the offseason in his native California, shedding 20 pounds to get down to his college playing weight of 248, changing his diet and getting stronger in his core.