John Atkins is back in Memphis, which is excellent news for the Showboats organization. Atkins has played in the USFL the past couple of seasons, and had an All-USFL campaign in 2023.
Free Agent Signing:
• DE John Atkins, Georgia
— Memphis Showboats (@USFLShowboats) December 7, 2023
During his college years, John Atkins was a standout lineman at Georgia. He went there with current New Jersey Generals DT Toby Johnson, and both dominated. During his final year in Georgia, he finished with 38 tackles.
Atkins then spent the next few years bouncing around between a few NFL organizations. In 2019, he ended up starting in six games for the Detroit Lions, totaling 20 tackles in twelve matchups played.
Then, in 2022, he joined the USFL to play for the Tampa Bay Bandits. Atkins was solid, racking up 26 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
He then was part of the team transfer to Memphis, where he earned All-USFL honors in 2023. With the Showboats, John Atkins registered 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks – starting in all ten games played. He also earned Defensive Player of the Week in week seven.
NINE-NINE! Another sack for @John_Boy77 💪
🎥: @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/X8f3aY5G68
See also
— Memphis Showboats (@USFLShowboats) May 28, 2023
While Memphis ultimately didn’t make the postseason, Atkins was a key piece to a defense that saw much improvement during the second half of the season under Carnell Lake’s leadership.
Final Thoughts
After spending a couple of months in USFL free agency, John Atkins now re-signs with Memphis ahead of the USFL-XFL merger. While we don’t know all the details quite yet, the two leagues are officially merging for 2024.
As it stands right now, it seems like the Memphis Showboats are a team who will be present in the merged league. Atkins, realizing this, probably pushed him into re-signing with Memphis now.
As the 2024 season approaches, the Showboats have some things to sort through. The organization is without HC…