Atlanta Falcons: How many tight ends will they keep?
With four practices down in Atlanta Falcons training camp, the tight end’s have been a large part of the offense. The Falcons have been using four tight end’s throughout camp thus far. These players include 2014 Falcons starter Levine Toilolo, Jacob Tamme, Tony Moeaki and Mickey Shuler.
At the moment, Toilolo is receiving first team reps, but Tamme has been one of the best players on the entire team thus far. When the number 83 is called in for a tight end rep, you can expect that guy to make a play. That man is Tamme. Tamme has worn number 84 for a lot of years, but wasn’t able to convince Roddy White to give it up. I’m joking.
Tamme has made great catch after great catch at camp. On top of that, his ability to get open has really stood out. Dan Quinn has voiced his opinion on Tamme as being a great route runner and a hard worker. His veteran presence has shown thus far and has really made everyone else work a lot harder.
Jul 31, 2015; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Moeaki (81) catches the ball during training camp at Flowery Branch Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Tamme has played his entire career with Peyton Manning. He started off with the Indianapolis Colts and quickly signed with the Denver Broncos after Manning took his talents to mile high. While it may be odd for Tamme to catch balls from a player not named Manning, Matt Ryan is no slouch. Tamme has had nothing but positive things to say about Ryan and is looking forward to catching more and more passes from him.
Toliolo comes into 2015 with two years of experience with the Falcons, but is learning a new offense just like his competition. Quinn brought in one of the youngest offensive minds in the NFL, Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan loves to utilize the tight end position to the best of its ability. This is great news if you are trying to make the team this year.
After some research, Shanahan has kept at least three tight ends on the roster ever since the 2011 season. He even kept four on the team in 2013 while as the coordinator of the Washington Redskins. So, if Tamme and Toilolo are the top two tight ends on the roster, who gets that third and final spot? Or will the Falcons only keep two like they did in 2014?
Tony Moeaki has been in the league for a few years now, but has battled through injuries that have kept him from performing to the best of his ability. Moeaki had his best years with the Kansas City Chiefs but last played for the Seattle Seahawks. Quinn must have liked what he seen out of Moeaki while he was the defensive coordinator and has a great shot at making the team.
All three of these players had solid days on day four of practice, but Tamme had the best day by far. Toilolo saw several snaps and snagged a couple good balls with a defender draped on his back. Moeaki hand’t been very involved in the first three days, but saw several snaps in day four and had a couple nice catches. However, he dropped a 20-yard pass that should have been caught.
The Falcons have had three tight end’s on the roster in 2011, 2012 and 2013 but elected to keep just two in 2014. This was a very weak position in 2014, but should be a lot more involved in 2015 with Shanahan’s new offense. Shanahan loves to use a two tight end set, so the odds that the team keeps three of them is looking more and more obvious in each passing day.
How many tight end’s do you think the Falcons should keep in 2015? Who do you want to see get the most reps? Leave your comments here.