The Atlanta Falcons need some help in the defensive secondary. While the team has starting-caliber players in Desmond Trufant, Kendall Sheffield, Isaiah Oliver, Damontae Kazee, Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen, adding some depth would be wise after two injury-riddled seasons.
Continuing with our positional breakdowns for the Falcons entering the 2020 offseason — which so far includes RB, WR/TE, DL, and LB — today, we’ll examine Atlanta’s defensive backs.
2019 Depth Chart and Results
CB Desmond Trufant
18 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss, 4 interceptions, 7 pass deflections
CB Kendall Sheffield
43 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 pass deflections, 1 blocked extra point
CB Isaiah Oliver
61 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 forced fumble, 11 pass deflections
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
24 tackles, 7 pass deflections
CB Jordan Miller
4 tackles, 1 forced fumble
CB Jamar Taylor
1 tackle
SS Keanu Neal
14 tackles, 1 QB hit
S Ricardo Allen
84 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions, 8 pass deflections
FS Damontae Kazee
69 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 3 pass deflections
S Jamal Carter
9 tackles, 1 pass deflection
S Jonathan Cyprien
2 tackles
S Sharrod Neasman
2 special teams tackles, 1 fumble recovery
S C.J. Reavis
On the practice squad for the 2019 season
S J.J. Wilcox
On Injured Reserve for all of the 2019 season
Depth Chart | Contracts | Pending Free Agents | Cut Candidates | Free Agent Targets | Draft Targets | Move to Consider |
Current 2020 Contracts
CB Desmond Trufant
3 years left for $15.15 million average
CB Kendall Sheffield
3 years left for $864,197 average
CB Isaiah Oliver
2 years left for $1.37 million average
CB Jordan Miller
3 years left for $699,085 average
SS Keanu Neal
1 year left for $6.466 million average
S Ricardo Allen
2 years left for $7.875 million average
FS Damontae Kazee
1 year left for $2.216 million
S Jamal Carter
1 year left for $660,000
S C.J. Reavis
2 years left for $630,000 average
Pending Free Agents: What Happens?
CB Jamar Taylor
Jamar Taylor was someone the Falcons considered drafting in 2013 when they took Desmond Trufant. Taylor didn’t have any real stats in 2019, but he played on special teams and did a good job. Should Atlanta feel that he’s worth bringing back for depth on a veteran minimum contract, the team should sign him and let him come into camp to compete for a role. Taylor is a smart player and the scheme the Falcons run is ideal for him.
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
When Desmond Trufant went down, Wreh-Wilson stepped up to provide solid play. The long-time Falcons reserve should continue in the same role again in 2020 under a minimum salary benefit deal once again. Atlanta would be stupid to let him go after he’s shown that he understands the left cornerback role as well as anybody on the defense, and his play has elevated when he’s in that role.
S Jonathan Cyprien
Unless Cyprien is looking to sign for a veteran minimum, it would be wise for the Falcons to let him walk. He’s an ideal backup for Keanu Neal’s role should he come back. He’s a pure strong safety who has experience in a similar scheme. Plus, the depth that he could provide as well as his strength on special teams makes him worthy of a roster spot. Cyprien should be back for a minimal deal.
S Sharrod Neasman
Another veteran who has been in the Falcons’ scheme for a few years, Sharrod Neasman is a special teams ace who would be a good security blanket at safety if anyone goes down. He’s been working hard the past few years to try and make an impact and the coaching staff hasn’t really given him a shot. Neasman has good instincts, but he needs to work on his play-making skills in practice to see the field in games.
S J.J. Wilcox
The Falcons coaching staff was very excited about J.J. Wilcox last offseason and then he got hurt for the year. Assuming he’d take a similar minimum salary deal, Atlanta bringing back Wilcox wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Assuming the team re-signs everyone on this list, the Falcons would be bringing back five solid depth talents on the cheap to help in 2020 and create a ton of competition in camp for playing time behind the projected top six guys.
Possible Cuts
CB Desmond Trufant
Desmond Trufant is finally entering the part of his deal where his salaries are not guaranteed anymore. His play as a top-10 cornerback in the NFL just hasn’t lived up to that top-10 billing. That being said, Trufant is still in a top-20 cornerback and had he stayed healthy, Trufant would be in that top 10. The Falcons should keep Trufant since it would only save $4.95 million towards the cap, and replacing him would cost more than keeping him.
SS Keanu Neal
While Keanu Neal is listed here, it would be very surprising to see him cut. For one, the fifth-year option automatically guarantees in case Neal gets injured for the season during his fourth year. So there wouldn’t be any cap savings to cut Neal. On top of that, he was a Pro Bowl player during his last full season starting. Assuming they can get him healthy for at least 12 games in 2020, the Falcons should see a better overall defense if Neal is in it.
S Ricardo Allen
Ricardo Allen is set up to count $7.375 million towards the cap in 2020 and $8.375 million towards it in 2021. His production as a safety isn’t warranting those numbers and the Falcons could save $3.125 million in 2020 with his cut. That being said, he’s a captain and a leader on defense. His presence is invaluable, but maybe without him someone else steps up.
Free Agents to Consider
CB Bashaud Breeland
If he wasn’t just a member of a Super Bowl winning defense, he might still be getting looked at as some obscure player. But Bashaud Breeland has always been a very good cornerback in the NFL who creates turnovers and has a tendency to find himself in the right place at the right time for pass breakups. His contract should be around $4-5 million per year because the NFL still doesn’t know what they have in him.
CB Mackensie Alexander
Should the Falcons let Desmond Trufant go, Mackensie Alexander might be a good fit as a guy who covers well but doesn’t create any turnovers. Alexander doesn’t really knock balls away either, though. He’s a true slot cornerback. Bringing in Alexander should be around the same cost as Breeland, but his coverage skills in the slot are worth having.
S HaHa Clinton-Dix
If the Falcons cut Ricardo Allen, bringing in Clinton-Dix may not be a bad decision. He’s not an ideal free safety in terms of turnover creation, but he does make plays on the ball. He also can play strong safety at times and if Neal goes down again, would slide right over to allow Damontae Kazee to come in and play his natural free safety role. Clinton-Dix cost shouldn’t be too much after coming off of a $2 million deal with the Bears.
S Kendall Fuller
Kendall Fuller played in Washington and Kansas City and is another member of a talented Chiefs defense that just won the Super Bowl. He wasn’t that great with Kansas City as a starter at corner, but he did earn playing time at free safety that showed he has more potential there. In Atlanta’s scheme, he’s a true free safety and could be a great fit if they decide to let Ricardo Allen go in the coming offseason.
2020 NFL Draft Fits
CB Trevon Diggs, Alabama
Considering the Falcons run a lot of zone coverage, targeting one of the best zone corners in the draft in Trevon Diggs would be a smart move for them. Diggs is amazing in how he attacks players once they head into his zone and has the length and athleticism Dan Quinn loves in his cornerbacks. The question comes down to whether his ball skills can improve well enough to make an impact as a rookie.
CB Damon Arnette, Ohio State
When looking at cornerbacks, finding one who can press receivers at the line to try and create more time for the pass rush would be smart for the Falcons to do. Damon Arnette is arguably one of the best press-man cornerbacks in the draft this year. He’s instinctual, fluid and gets his hand on the ball often. The problem is that he doesn’t catch those balls very much because he’s rarely turned around for it.
S Grant Delpit, Louisiana State
Grant Delpit is one of the biggest paradoxes in the draft. While some think he can be similar to Eric Berry, others are down on him because he misses a lot of tackles. He needs to work on his open-field tackling, which could cause him to fall out of the first round. The Falcons could be the beneficiaries of a draft day slide by Delpit, as he would be an instant starter for them at free safety.
S Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
If the Falcons do cut Ricardo Allen for cap reasons, bringing in Antoine Winfield would be a brilliant move to replace him at free safety. He’s brilliant with his angles against the run and the pass, while being a play-maker. Winfield is also very fluid as an athlete and has the kind of fast and physical nature that Dan Quinn would love. He could be the second coming of Earl Thomas and would be an instant starter.
Out-of-Box Move to Consider
Switching to a big nickel with Keanu Neal as a safety/linebacker
While the idea of having five defensive backs on the field at one time might scare most defensive coordinators, the Falcons playing a base out of a big nickel actually makes sense. Against three wide receiver sets, Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen would play safety as Damontae Kazee drops into the slot. In base sets, Neal would be in the box while Allen and Kazee would play safety. It would give the team more versatility and speed on the field.
The Falcons’ defense in 2019 had issues because they couldn’t get the right personnel into the right spots. However, this would give the team more than enough versatility to make it work. Atlanta would have one of the best defensive alignments out there with Neal as a “star” style linebacker/safety too. Allen and Kazee would have to improve their coverage from the slot to really make this work, though.
