The Atlanta Falcons defense is a work in progress
By Jacob Yturri
The Falcons defense is a solid collection of talent. In this article, we take an in-depth look at each defensive position for the Falcons.
On defense, the Falcons have good starters but lack depth at a few positions. Let’s go position-by-position and take a look at the Falcons’ defense.
First, let’s start with on the defensive line. At the defensive end position, the Falcons have the super talented duo of Takkarist McKinley and Vic Beasly. In addition to these young studs, veteran end Brooks Reed looks to fill in if an injury was to occur to either player.
Next, the defensive tackle position could be the Falcons biggest area of strength. The team has two veteran tackles in Grady Jarrett and Terrell McClain and a promising rookie by the name of Deadrin Senat. Since Atlanta has three players here that are starter quality, the team should consider moving McClain.
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The logic behind moving McClain is that with Senat looking quite promising thus far in the preseason, McClain will not be as important as he was once thought of. In fact, by trading McClain sooner rather than later, the team might be able to get a backup free safety or fill another position of need without having to surrender a needed player.
Moving on, at the outside linebacker position, only De’Vondre Campbell sticks out. The Falcons do have a hole at this position. If Campbell were to get injured, the team would be forced to go to inexperienced players. This team needs to get a contingency plan together just in case Campbell was to get hurt.
At the middle linebacker position, third-year player Deion Jones looks better than ever. I have no doubt in my mind that Jones will put together a pro bowl worthy season. The concern here is the same concern with the other two linebacker positions. If Jones needs a rest or is injured, the Falcons will have a liability on the field if Jones is unable to play.
At corner, the Falcons have three solid cornerbacks in Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, and Brian Poole. Outside of these three, the team has a collection of players that will be battling it out for the fourth corner position.
At the strong safety position, the Falcons have Keanu Neal. In the past two years with the Falcons, Neal has proven to be one of the league’s best safeties. Backing up Neal is Ron Parker. Luckily for Atlanta, Parker has the talent to be a low-tier starter or great backup safety.
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The free safety position is arguably the worst defensive position for the Falcons. The team has fifth-year player Ricardo Allen who is considered to be an average to above average starter in terms of talent. However, besides Allen, the team does not have any players on the roster worth keeping as a backup. This will be a position that the Falcons need to improve.