The Atlanta Falcons released linebacker Barkevious Mingo on Saturday after he was arrested in Texas on a charge of indecency with a child-sexual contact. The second-degree felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison under Texas state law. Police said that Mingo turned himself in. However, Mingo's attorney, Lukas Garcia, called the allegations "completely baseless." Mingo signed a one-year contract with the Falcons in March. The first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2013 has played for five different teams in the last five seasons, including the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears. The 30-year-old had 35 tackles (23 solo), five QB hits and 2.5 sacks in 16 games (three starts) for the Bears in 2020.
The Atlanta Falcons signed former Chicago Bears linebacker Barkevious Mingo to an undisclosed one-year deal on Tuesday, according to a source. Mingo will bring some linebacker depth and special teams help and could compete with second-year linebacker Mykal Walker. Mingo, a former first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2013, played a rotational role in Chicago last season and was also one of the team's core special teams players. He played 36 percent of the defensive snaps and 82 percent of the special teams snaps, recording 2.5 sacks and 35 total tackles. Mingo has 12.5 career sacks, 27 tackles for loss and 38 QB hits. He won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2016 and has also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans.
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Barkevious Mingo provided solid pressure all night in the team's first preseason game against the Broncos. Mingo played surprisingly deep into the game, all the way into the fourth quarter, as the coaches are trying to give him as many pass-rushing reps as possible. With Frank Clark in Kansas City, Jarran Reed suspended for six games, and Ezekiel Ansah recovering from shoulder surgery, it will likely fall on Mingo and Jacob Martin to provide pressure for the first few games of the season. Based on Thursday's results, there's still a little hope.
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Barkevious Mingo is going to be looked at as a primary pass-rusher in 2019, according to head coach Pete Carroll. Mingo started at strongside linebacker last year, but with the team's depth at linebacker this season and the loss of Frank Clark, Carroll told reporters that he's going to give Mingo a look as a primary pass-rusher for the upcoming season. That said, when it comes to Carroll, he's certainly not one to get stuck in a rut with his defensive scheming, so it wouldn't be a shock if that entire plan ends up flipped on its head in August. For now though, prospective Seattle defense owners should be intrigued to see if Mingo can adopt the new approach.