Former Iowa State safety Malik Verdon has been waived by the Atlanta Falcons with an injury settlement, closing a difficult first chapter of his NFL career that never got a true on-field start.
The Falcons moved on from the former Cyclone on Friday, clearing him from injured reserve, via the NFL transaction log.
Atlanta had first waived Verdon with an injury designation in mid-August; he cleared waivers and reverted to IR. The latest move, reported as an injury settlement, makes him a free agent if no team claims him. He has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game.
For Iowa State fans, the news lands with familiar frustration. Verdon was a cornerstone of Matt Campbell’s defense during the Cyclones’ 11-3 2024 season that ended with a Pop-Tarts Bowl win.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Cincinnati product finished second on the team with 76 tackles, added 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Coaches named him second-team All-Big 12. He declared after his redshirt junior year.
Over four seasons in Ames he played 27 games and piled up 134 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He was more than a box safety.
Iowa State used him high, in the slot, on the edge and as a hybrid linebacker — the kind of versatile defender NFL teams chase. He earned Senior Bowl invites and signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 draft.
The professional path never lined up. A shoulder issue landed him on the non-football injury list as a rookie. He was designated to return in November 2025 but never activated and missed the entire season.
He participated in 2026 OTAs looking healthier, then suffered another undisclosed injury that knocked him off the 90-man roster before the regular season. Two years of availability problems have defined his Falcons tenure more than any snap count.
Cyclone supporters remember the player who posted 13 tackles in a rivalry win at Iowa and kept playing through late-season injuries in 2024. That toughness and size-plus-range profile still exists.
At 23, Verdon remains young enough that another team could view him as a developmental piece at safety or linebacker once healthy.
For now the story is unfinished. Iowa State produced a high-upside defender who earned All-Big 12 honors and a shot in Atlanta. Injuries have delayed the next chapter.
Whether another NFL locker room gives him that chance will determine if the Ames chapter becomes a launching pad or a highlight reel of what might have been.
