When Jimmy Lake was the defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, the entire defense was affected. After working together with the Los Angeles Rams, Lake was Raheem Morris' handpicked DC, yet the defense the Falcons fielded was so unwatchable that he was fired after only one season.
Everyone fell victim to Lake's ineptitude, but veteran corner Dee Alford had it worse than most. Alford was one of the league's worst cover CBs in 2024, and most Falcons fans were calling for his job going into 2025. But thankfully, he was able to turn things around with a breakout year under Jeff Ulbrich.
The 28-year-old logged a career-high 13 passes defensed and three interceptions--and he wasn't even a full-time starter. He took on more snaps once Billy Bowman Jr. went down and even more after Mike Hughes did, so he was able to cash in on a three-year, $21 million deal with the Buffalo Bills.
Cobee Bryant is in a unique position to play Dee Alford's role in Atlanta
Now that Alford is enjoying the cold weather of Western New York, the Falcons are tasked with finding someone to take his role as a rotational corner. A fully healthy Clark Phillips would be an obvious choice, but the better option is the crown jewel of the Dirty Birds' 2025 UDFA class: Cobee Bryant.
In four seasons at the University of Kansas, Bryant nabbed 13 interceptions and was a First-Team All Big 12 player in each of his final three college seasons. Frankly, it was a surprise the Dirty Birds were able to sign him as an UDFA at all because off of college production, he deserved to be selected.
And it seems the Falcons knew that too. With a practical guarantee of $274,000, the 24-year-old was Atlanta's highest-paid undrafted free agent in 2025, and tied for the 10th highest-paid in the NFL. So their investment in him could give him a unique opportunity to compete for a role in training camp.
At 6-foot and 180 pounds, Bryant has a slim frame and his 4.53 second 40-yard dash is slower than you'd like from a corner his size. But the Falcons aren't asking for much. They have A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell, and Mike Hughes set to start, and Billy Bowman Jr., Phillips, and Bryant can play depth roles. And he was close with Alford.
In 10 games as a rookie, Bryant hardly saw the field, and struggled when he did. But just like Dee Alford, Cobee Bryant is talented enough to stick around in Atlanta, so don't be surprised if he claws his way into a bigger role in Year 2 as he continues to develop into a quality backup or spot starter.
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