Ranking the 2015 Impact of Atlanta Falcons Top Free-Agent Signings so Far
The Atlanta Falcons have made eight re-signings and 12 signings since the 2014 season ended. Of those, they should see quite a bit of impact, and with potential improvement from current players on the team, it would be shocking to see some of the signings make the roster.
The Falcons just got better and improved a ton of missing depth with these signings for the 2015 season. If the Falcons look as good on the field and can stay healthy, they could be the front-runners for the division championship in 2015.
20. Nick Williams, Wide Receiver
1 of 20
Sometimes, signings are made that are extremely under the radar. This is the case for Nick Williams. While he's a solid athlete, he's not going to earn any playing time over the Falcons' current top four of Julio Jones, Roddy White, Devin Hester and Leonard Hankerson—who will be covered later.
Williams has a total of three career catches and played in just five games as a rookie in 2013. He's likely going to be a camp cut in a couple of months unless he makes a drastic improvement from his recent game film and college days.
Projected Role: Competing for a roster spot, special teams at most
19. Cliff Matthews, Defensive End
2 of 20
Cliff Matthews was selected back in 2011 with the hope that he would develop into something more than just a fringe 53-man player. The Falcons got a very solid athlete and aggressive personality on the field, but he has yet to show the flashes he did in college for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Matthews will have to compete for a roster spot when training camp comes around, and he looks to be at a bit of a disadvantage with the Falcons bringing back Kroy Biermann and adding a ton of competition for the pass-rushing roles off the edge.
Projected Role: Competing for a roster spot, special teams at most
18. Allen Bradford, Linebacker
3 of 20
The Falcons brought in a couple of guys that were former Seattle Seahawks, players that new head coach Dan Quinn is familiar with. Allen Bradford is one such guy. He's not a great football player, but he is someone who knows the scheme and could provide athletic depth.
Bradford's best value comes on special teams. Between Bradford and Nate Stupar, there's probably just one roster spot available for the Falcons special teams linebacker role. Bradford has an athletic advantage, but Stupar has the familiarity with the current roster and special teams coaches.
Projected Role: Competing for a roster spot, special teams at most
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
17. Charles Godfrey, Safety
4 of 20
Charles Godfrey was cut from the Carolina Panthers in 2014 due to poor performance on the field. He didn't even see a defensive snap for the Falcons in 2014 after he got signed midway through the season. Godfrey has talent as a backup, but he shouldn't be relied on for a starting role.
When a rookie as raw as Dezmen Southward is beating him out for time on the 32nd-rated pass defense in the NFL, it says that he's nothing more than a role player at best. The Falcons could do better, and based on Godfrey's contract, he could be cut with minimal dead money should he get beaten out in camp.
Projected Role: Competing for a roster spot, special teams at most
16. Eric Weems, Wide Receiver/Special Teams Ace
5 of 20
The Falcons needed to bring back some competition at wide receiver and maintain their talented special teams groupings. Eric Weems accomplishes both of those goals, as he comes back to be the Falcons as the fifth or sixth wide receiver on the roster in 2015.
Weems had a bit of a career resurgence after coming back to Atlanta in 2014. He spent 2012 and 2013 in Chicago and was cut prior to the 2014 season due to his contract being too cumbersome for his role with the Bears. Atlanta won't have that problem, as his contract is minimal in Atlanta.
Projected Role: Competing for a wide receiver role. Special teams spot guaranteed.
15. Jared Smith, Offensive Lineman
6 of 20
The Falcons still don't have a starting left guard on the roster, but Jared Smith is an athletic big man who has experience on both the offensive and defensive lines. He profiles best as a guard and could be a good fit as a long-term solution at left guard if he can develop his skills.
He was a bit of a project in Seattle, though, and he still hasn't realized the potential that his athletic profile says he could fulfill. As of now, he's competing for the backup job and a roster spot, but if he wins the starting job, he could be a surprise for the Falcons in 2015.
Projected Role: Competing for a backup job
14. T.J. Yates, Quarterback
7 of 20
Backup quarterbacks who have started a playoff game are a rarity. Backup quarterbacks who have lead their team to a postseason win are even more rare. T.J. Yates is one of these rarities and is an ideal backup for Matt Ryan.
Yates is an extremely similar quarterback to the longtime Falcons franchise signal-caller, as he's a tall, accurate pocket passer who has the mobility to evade the opposing pass rush should things break down. The biggest issue with Yates comes from his decision-making, but that should improve over time.
Projected Role: Backup to Ryan at quarterback
13. Mike Person, Offensive Lineman
8 of 20
Mike Person is a top fit for the zone-blocking scheme as a backup offensive lineman. He can play either guard spot or at center. However, due to his limited experience in the NFL, he isn't someone who should be relied upon as a starter right away.
The Falcons can use him as the seventh offensive lineman on game day should he win in a battle with Jared Smith, James Stone and whoever else the Falcons bring in during the offseason. That role is essentially the emergency snaps at center or guard should there be injuries at the spot.
Projected Role: Seventh or eighth offensive lineman out of nine that will make the roster
12. Tony Moeaki, Tight End
9 of 20
Tony Moeaki has had some injury troubles throughout his career, as he's missed multiple seasons due to knee injuries. The Falcons are taking a chance on him to see if he can somehow return to his rookie form and turn into the top-level tight end that he showed the potential to be.
In the likely scenario, Moeaki is a blocking tight end who competes for the starting role for cheap. However, in the absolute best-case scenario, Moeaki turns into the guy he was as a rookie—a starting tight end who catches 45 balls, gains 500 yards through the air and scores three-to-five touchdowns.
Projected Role: Third-string tight end
11. Jacob Tamme, Tight End
10 of 20
Regardless of who wins the starting job at tight end, Jacob Tamme looks like he was brought in to be the primary receiving threat from the position for 2015. He may not be the official starter, but he should see a ton of time as an H-back and in-line player.
Tamme is the veteran that could help out with the transition to the zone scheme for Levine Toilolo. Toilolo might be the starter, but he will likely take a backseat to the talented former Denver Bronco and Indianapolis Colt should the Falcons start the second-year player out of Stanford.
Projected Role: Primary backup at tight end
10. Phillip Adams, Cornerback
11 of 20
The Falcons have Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant starting at cornerback and need someone to back them up in case of an emergency. The signing of Phillip Adams looks like an ideal nickel signing based on the initial impact of it, but the Falcons shouldn't rely on him to be their true nickel.
He's at most a dime or even fifth cornerback, but due to the Falcons only having Ricardo Allen and Jordan Mabin under contract to compete with him, it looks like he is in line to be the nickel. The most likely situation for Adams would be the dime cornerback, though the draft could bring in the new nickel corner.
Projected Role: Dime cornerback
9. Leonard Hankerson, Wide Receiver
12 of 20
After the Falcons cut Harry Douglas, they needed to bring in someone who had more athletic potential and was a younger, similar option. Leonard Hankerson is a similar fit to Douglas and could be the Falcons' slot receiver for the 2015 season.
Hankerson has played in Kyle Shanahan's offense before and could help the transition to the new coaches, as they already have an idea of his strengths and weaknesses. Devin Hester should join Julio Jones and Roddy White as the top three receivers, but Hankerson should still see time on the field as the fourth.
Projected Role: No. 4 wide receiver
8. Kroy Biermann, Defensive End
13 of 20
Kroy Biermann was the Falcons' leading pass-rusher in 2014 with just 4.5 sacks. That's not going to be enough to make him a starter in 2015. But Biermann's role should change with the new coaching staff. He won't be playing a strong-side defensive end in a base nickel package anymore.
He'll likely be playing either a strong-side linebacker role where he rotates in as a pass-rusher, or a role where he's rotating in at "Leo" defensive end on the weak side of the formations. Atlanta is better off bringing back Biermann in a leadership and rotational role than letting him walk.
Projected Role: Rotational edge-rusher
7. Antone Smith, Running Back
14 of 20
Despite breaking his leg halfway through 2014, Antone Smith had five touchdowns of 35 yards or more. He got two of them on the ground and three of them through the air on short passes that he turned into ridiculously long gains.
While Smith's production likely isn't sustainable, his role should increase in 2015 from what it has been in the past, as he still provides a big-play threat at any time. He's also one of the best gunners in the NFL when he's healthy, and should have the starting role there.
Projected Role: Change of pace running back
6. O'Brien Schofield, Linebacker/Leo Defensive End
15 of 20
Bringing back Kroy Biermann is just one of the moves that the Falcons made to help shore up their defensive depth. Another is the signing of linebacker/Leo defensive end O'Brien Schofield. He's familiar with Dan Quinn's scheme and has shown the ability to be an effective rotational pass-rusher.
Schofield could be the starting strong-side linebacker if the draft doesn't go the way that most expect it to, with a pass-rusher being selected at No. 8 overall. But the most likely fit for Schofield is as the primary rotational pass-rusher in Quinn's scheme.
Projected Role: Rotational edge-rusher
5. Patrick DiMarco, Fullback
16 of 20
Patrick DiMarco is a great fit for the Kyle Shanahan offense as both a pass-catcher and lead-blocker. He's willing to take on any linebacker head-to-head and should succeed very well in the zone-blocking scheme. Unlike the traditional fullback role, DiMarco would be able to rely on his vision to help open holes.
As a pass-catcher, the fullback in the offense tends to fake a block before he rolls out as a safety valve. DiMarco may not be very fast, but he could turn in an excellent performance as a pass-catcher. He'll also have to continue to provide on special teams due to fullbacks fading out of the NFL.
Projected Role: Starting fullback
4. Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End
17 of 20
When the Falcons signed Adrian Clayborn, he seemed like he could be the diamond in the rough out of the entire class. He had a ton of potential as a pass-rusher coming out of the 2011 draft as a first-round pick, and Clayborn looked like someone who would be a six-to-eight sack guy and a good run defender.
Clayborn hasn't seen that kind of success in the pros yet, but he still shows the potential. Health concerns have derailed his career, as he's suffered biceps and ACL injuries. His fit in the Dan Quinn defense is at strong-side defensive end, and he should start and play on run downs at the very least.
Projected Role: Starting strong-side defensive end
3. Matt Bryant, Kicker
18 of 20
Matt Bryant only missed three kicks in 2014. Every single one of them was from 50 yards or more. That's an insane rate for field goals under 50 yards, and it was shocking at just how good he was on clutch kicks alone; he hit on every single game-tying or game-winning kick in the final minutes of action.
Bryant re-signed to a three-year deal, but make no bones about it, if he wants to retire at any point in the deal, he could do so easily without hurting the Falcons' cap situation. But until then, the Falcons will try to win the one for Bryant that they couldn't win for Gonzalez.
Projected Role: Starting kicker
2. Brooks Reed, Linebacker
19 of 20
The Falcons had a big weakness at linebacker in 2014. They had Paul Worrilow in the middle and a combination of Joplo Bartu and Prince Shembo on the outside. That just didn't work. Brooks Reed looks like an answer to one of the linebacker roles in Dan Quinn's scheme.
He's ideally a strong-side linebacker who will start and play at least 70 percent of the snaps. As the starter, he'll be expected to play a similar role to his former 3-4 strong-outside linebacker role in Houston—set the edge and then rush the passer later.
Projected Role: Starting strong-side linebacker
1. Justin Durant, Linebacker
20 of 20
When the Falcons allowed Sean Weatherspoon to walk, it looked like they didn't have a starting linebacker to pair with Paul Worrilow and Brooks Reed on the inside. Then, they signed Justin Durant and everything finally made a ton of sense.
While Durant isn't as close to the healthiest version of Weatherspoon, he has actually seen the field over the past two seasons. Durant will be the starting weak-side linebacker and should be an asset both in base sets and on nickel downs, where his coverage ability will be even more helpful for the Falcons.
Projected Role: Starting weak-side linebacker
All stats used are either from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN, CFBStats or the NFL. All combine and pro day info is courtesy NFL Draft Scout. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, College Football, NFL and the NFL draft.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
