Atlanta Falcons: Projecting the defensive depth chart for 2016
It seems as if we’re finding out something new almost every week in regards to what Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons want to do on defense. A lot of shakeups are taking place which makes for a very intriguing training camp at the end of summer.
A lot of starting jobs are up for grabs and with that we are seeing several position changes. Grady Jarrett is moving to the nose tackle position, Ra’Shede Hageman is going to get some reps at strong side defensive end, Vic Beasley is moving to strong side linebacker and several others things as well.
Quinn has a lot more players that fit his system heading into year two as head coach which is allowing these changes to happen. Some might ultimately fail, but the goal is for some if not all to succeed. Let’s take a look at what the Falcons’ base defensive starting lineup could look like once we head into week 1.
LEO | Courtney Upshaw | Adrian Clayborn |
NT | Grady Jarrett | Joey Mbu |
UT | Derrick Shelby | Jonathan Babineaux |
SDE | Ra’Shede Hageman | Tyson Jackson |
WLB| Sean Weatherspoon | De’Vondre Campbell |
MLB | Deion Jones | Paul Worrilow |
SLB | Vic Beasley | Brooks Reed |
LCB | Desmond Trufant | Demarcus Van Dyke |
RCB | Robert Alford | Jalen Collins |
FS | Ricardo Allen | Robensen Therezie |
SS | Keanu Neal | Kemal Ishmael |
From every little bit of information I could find, this is very well what the Falcons’ starting lineup could be come week 1. The secondary and linebacking corps are pretty much a lock at this point. Could we see Paul Worrilow starting over Deion Jones at the beginning of the season? Sure, but other than that, those position groups are safe bets.
Ironing out the starting defensive line is what will be the challenge. What we do know is that Grady Jarrett is moving to nose tackle, so you can pencil him in for that spot. Those other three starting spots are up in the air. Courtney Upshaw is an interesting player. His coverage skills lack and many expect him to see more playing time on the line rather than at linebacker. Phillip Wheeler was re-signed for reason. It doesn’t seem like the Falcons want to use Adrian Claybron as their LEO in their base defense so I wouldn’t expect to see him get the nod over Upshaw.
As far as the under tackle spot goes, that job will either go to Ra’Shede Hageman or Derrick Shelby. Hageman played that position in 2015, but is expected to get a tryout at SDE. So for now we’re going to swap those two positions. Shelby has been rumored to play some on the inside so if Hageman performs well, that could be how everything shakes out.
Now let’s take a look at the Falcons’ nickel defensive projections
LDE | Vic Beasley | Courtney Upshaw |
LDT |Grady Jarrett | Ra’Shede Hageman |
RDT | Derrick Shelby | Jonathan Babineaux |
RDE | Adrian Clayborn | ? |
WLB | De’Vondre Campbell | Sean Weatherspoon |
MLB | Deion Jones | Paul Worrilow |
LCB | Desmond Trufant | ? |
RCB | Jalen Collins | Akeem King |
NCB | Robert Alford | Demarcus Van Dyke |
FS | Ricardo Allen | Robensen Therezie |
SS | Keanu Neal | Kemal Ishmael |
The nickel defense if you don’t already know features an extra corner and one less linebacker. It was already made known by Dan Quinn that Atlanta’s starting nickel corner will be Robert Alford. He will be moving Alford over to the nickel spot for the first time and that should be fun to see. Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen will remain the starters at safety but Jalen Collins will be entering into the starting lineup at RCB (After his 4-game suspension of course). Desmond Trufant will lineup at his normal LCB spot to round out the secondary.
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Middle linebacker will be between Deion Jones and Paul Worrilow just like expected, but weak side linebacker is where things get interesting. De’Vondre Campbell has a good shot at being the starter over Sean Weatherspoon in the nickel package. Atlanta drafted Campbell for his athleticism so that would make sense to see him slashing and dashing in their nickel package.
The defensive line isn’t quite as difficult to guess as it is in the base defense. Vic Beasley will slide back down to LDE and Adrian Clayborn will man the RDE spot. Those are pretty cut and dry. The interior spots will likely go to Derrick Shelby and Grady Jarrett, but don’t be surprised if Jonathan Babineaux or Ra’Shede Hageman slide in and take one of those spots.
With Brandon Boykin still set to visit the Falcons, that would help with their nickel package. If he were to sign with the Falcons, we could see Alford move to RCB and Boykin slide to NCB until Collins returns from his suspension. That would really help the Falcons out so I’d expect to see the Falcons come to an agreement with him.
Next: Can Tevin Coleman push Devonta Freeman for snaps?
On paper this isn’t a terrible defense. Yes, it is still a work in progress but progress is being made. this will be a very fun group of players to watch compete in training camp. I just wish it was here already! Rise up!