Atlanta Falcons must make sweeping changes at the cornerback position

Modern-day defenses are only as good as their nickel corners. The prevalence of passing, especially inside the numbers, makes having a great slot cornerback a necessity.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, their starting slot corner, Dee Alford, has been struggling. You have probably seen the video of him looking completely lost on the long Justin Jefferson touchdown. It was one embarrassing play in a game that was full of them.

Falcons must make sweeping changes at cornerback

Last week, Justin Jefferson failed against A.J. Terrell so the Vikings motioned him to the inside where he started feasting. This is when Dee Alford scrambled to catch up as he blew numerous coverages.

According to Next Gen Stats, Sam Darnold targeted the slot corner eight times, completing seven for 126 yards and three touchdowns. He allowed a perfect QB rating (158.3).

Alford's playing time dipped after the Falcons' last win. However, since then it has steadily increased.

Moving forward, the Falcons need to bench him instead of increasing his playing time. Mike Hughes, who played well at slot last season, should move back inside as he gives them a more reliable cover guy with physicality in run defense.

Clark Phillips III will take Hughes' part-time role as Terrell's complement. Is it a perfect plan? No, but it is a heck of a lot better than the current one.

Continuing to run Dee Alford out onto the field won't fix anything. We saw it last week, allowing two 100-yard, two-plus touchdown receivers in a game is a fantastic way to get beat. Atlanta needs to get back on track by making changes at cornerback, it is as simple as that.