Atlanta Falcons signing Stephone Anthony is flying under the radar

On Thursday August 1st the Atlanta Falcons are gearing up to play in the Hall of Fame game against the Denver Broncos. This game will be a good chance to look at the depth players on the Falcons because the starters should not play in this game.

One of the depth pieces the Atlanta Falcons recently acquired is former first round pick Stephone Anthony. Anthony was drafted by the Saints with the 31st in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Right now he is considered a bust as he spent two seasons with the Saints and was eventually traded to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth round pick.

For the Saints the only memorable play he made was being the first player in NFL history to return a blocked kick for two points. During his rookie year he looked like a bright spot as he finished with 112 tackles, one interception, one sack, and two forced fumbles. He led all rookie defenders that year in tackles.

During the 2016 season is where Anthony started to fall downhill. He only played 10 games and recorded sixteen tackles as he mostly played special teams. At the beginning of the 2017 season he was traded to the Miami Dolphins. Anthony mostly played special teams for the Dolphins during the 2017 and 2018 season.

In the 2015 offseason linebacker was a big need for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons decided to go cheap during that offseason signing Justin Durant and rolling with Paul Worrilow for another season. A lot of fans had Stephone Anthony as a player to watch for the Falcons. The Falcons had Anthony as a draft target during the draft process. If he was still there in the second round the Falcons likely would have drafted him over Jalen Collins.

Fast-forward to today, the Falcons signed Stephone Anthony to play special teams and be a depth piece. After J.J. Wilcox tore his ACL the Falcons moved Kemal Ishmael back to safety opening a spot at linebacker. This preseason is important for linebacker because there is a lot of competition for that spot.

If you look at Anthony during his combine, he fits the Falcons scheme and what Dan Quinn looks for in a linebacker. He ran a 4.56 in the forty, twenty-three reps on the bench, and a thirty-seven-inch vertical. Anthony has the chance to turn his career around with the Falcons.

We have seen former first round picks turn their careers around with another time. Two examples are TE Eric Ebron and defensive end Dante Fowler. Ebron was drafted by the Lions and looked like a bust. He joined the Colts in 2018 and went to the Pro Bowl. Fowler looked like a bust with the Jaguars and made a spectacular play with the Rams against the Saints in the NFC Championship.

Who knows what could have happened with Anthony had the Falcons drafted him during the 2015 NFL Draft. The Falcons signing him is a move that is flying under the radar because he has the chance to turn his career around. Anthony is on a short term contract so this move is a low risk and high reward.