Projecting Atlanta Falcons' Most Heated Roster Battles This Offseason
The Atlanta Falcons have undergone massive changes throughout the 2015 offseason. Because of those, they have quite a few interesting camp battles that will be accentuated due to the scheme changes brought on by new head coach Dan Quinn and new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
The biggest battles all come at spots that could be considered weaknesses from the 2014 season. However, a zone-blocking scheme on offense added to the West Coast passing attack gives Atlanta an identity it needed to have there.
On the other side of the ball, the Falcons are an offset 4-3 defense that could turn out to be one of the better ones with the moves they made this past offseason. They just need to get the right men in the right positions to make plays—specifically in the secondary.
5. Starting Tight End
1 of 5
The Competitors: Levine Toilolo, Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki
At tight end in 2014, Levine Toilolo was completely underwhelming. He was so bad that some thought the Falcons could have looked at a tight end at No. 8 overall should there have been one worth taking in the 2015 draft.
Luckily, the Falcons didn't have to worry about that, as there was no such option, and they got to take Vic Beasley to help with the pass rush instead. Atlanta signed Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki to give Toilolo some competition and help him out as secondary options.
Tamme is a name that most would recognize from his days with Peyton Manning in both Indianapolis and Denver. He's primarily a receiving tight end who has very poor blocking skills. He's a good intermediate option, but ideally, the Falcons don't have to use him as anything but an H-back.
Moeaki is a former high draft pick. When he was healthy, he looked a lot like former Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler. He's a very talented blocker and a good intermediate receiving option. The question with Moeaki comes down to just how healthy he is. Because at 100 percent, he's the best tight end on the roster.
In the end, it does look like Toilolo will retain his starting role, and the Falcons will be rotating in a combination of Tamme and Moeaki as the No. 2 option in two-tight end sets. It's not an ideal situation, but Atlanta chose to punt instead of going out and getting Jordan Cameron or Julius Thomas.
4. Starting Right Corner and Starting Nickel Corner
2 of 5
The Competitors: Robert Alford, Jalen Collins and Dezmen Southward
At right cornerback, the Falcons went from a situation where the general idea was that the team would stick with Robert Alford at right cornerback to one where the Falcons now have multiple options for who could start, who will be the nickel corner and who could play in a big nickel role.
Alford needs to be in a role that allows him to man-up and press a receiver while having some help deep just in case he gets burned. His competitiveness, physicality and ball skills make him a legitimate option at right cornerback and a good fit for the scheme Quinn runs.
But the 5'10", 186-pound Alford doesn't have the prototypical size that Quinn looks for. On the flip side, 2015 second-round draft pick Jalen Collins (6'1", 203 lbs) and 2014 third-round pick Dezmen Southward (6'0, 211 lbs) do.
If Collins or Southward wins the starting job at right cornerback, it would mean that a battle for nickel cornerback would be Alford's to lose. But Alford could easily lose it should Quinn feel that the remaining tall, lanky corner is the best fit for the spot.
Another possibility is that Southward winds up winning the free safety job—covered on the next page—and then the loser of the Collins-Alford battle at right corner would be the winner of the nickel job by default. In Quinn's press-heavy scheme, he now has four cornerbacks who should do everything well for him, and that's only a good thing.
3. Starting Free Safety
3 of 5
The Competitors: Charles Godfrey, Kemal Ishmael, Dezmen Southward, Ricardo Allen and Robenson Therezie
The Falcons' switch to a scheme that requires a deep center field free safety makes it tough to project who the starter will be. Mainly because most of the Falcons safeties just don't seem to fit the scheme that Quinn runs for that center fielder. Therefore, the whole depth chart for the position is listed.
Charles Godfrey might have at one time, but he has regressed into a player who shouldn't be on the roster of most teams and could find himself getting cut at some point this offseason. Kemal Ishmael doesn't have the range for free safety but does have the instincts and playmaking ability.
Dezmen Southward has the range for the center field role but doesn't have the instincts or playmaking ability to make an impact early on and might fit better at cornerback in Quinn's scheme. Ricardo Allen is a nice option for the role with his athleticism, range and coverage instincts, but he doesn't have ideal size (5'9", 186 lbs).
That leaves one dark-horse option who could surprise us all in Robenson Therezie. He has the speed and range needed to be a good center fielder. His instincts are still developing, and his playmaking skills are there. The big question is whether Therezie can improve his tackling under Quinn.
In the end, regardless of who winds up winning the job, this will be one of the camp battles that really shape the roster—positively or negatively. The Falcons' new defense needs a free safety who can create turnovers to be effective.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
2. Starting Left Guard
4 of 5
The Competitors: Mike Person, Peter Konz, Sam Baker, James Stone, Harland Gunn and Jared Smith
In what might be the biggest competition on the roster in terms of potential starting options, the Falcons have a giant hole at starting left guard with the release of Justin Blalock, who wasn't a great fit for the new blocking scheme under Shanahan.
The options are plentiful. There's former second-round pick Peter Konz, former starting left tackle Sam Baker, last year's starting center in James Stone, and depth players Harland Gunn, Jared Smith and free-agent signing Mike Person.
They all have experience in the NFL as guards or centers even if it's for just a few snaps. Ideally, the Falcons could pick up someone who instantly starts at left guard and lets the guys listed all compete for depth because that's where they are best served.
However, if one of these six did earn the job, it will be because he fought the best and learned the most about the scheme. Few players can come out of a battle like this and play horribly. Even if they do, there are another five options there to replace them in case of pure failure.
If there was one name to really watch out for as a surprise starter, it'd be Smith. He's the best athlete of the group by far and has shown a nasty streak that could be an advantage. Smith has the same kind of athleticism most tackles have, but he's a better fit for guard and could be a shockingly good player there.
1. Starting Running Back
5 of 5
The Competitors: Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman
After the Falcons cut Steven Jackson and didn't re-sign Jacquizz Rodgers after the 2014 season, that left the team with just Antone Smith and Devonta Freeman on the roster. It did sign Jerome Smith before the draft to provide camp depth, but Atlanta's biggest move was to take Tevin Coleman in the third round.
Freeman and Coleman are very similar in how they play. They are both backs who rely on their vision to find holes to cut through. Ideally, both would play in a one-cut-and-go kind of scheme. Luckily, the Falcons went out and got Shanahan to install his offense for the Falcons.
Shanahan's offense is essentially the same thing his dad, Mike Shanahan, runs. He uses a zone-blocking run scheme with a West Coast passing scheme. The Falcons will gladly use Coleman and Freeman out of the backfield as receivers in the new scheme, while the running game is a wide-zone scheme.
The wide-zone scheme would be for the best for both Freeman and Coleman. So neither is truly a better scheme fit. The real question for who gets the starting nod will come from who the best pass protector is. If they are both about equal in that, both should see equal snaps.
Either way, the Falcons shouldn't rely on either one to be the primary ball-carrier. At worst for either one of these backs, he'll see 30 percent of the snaps while the other sees 60 percent, and either Antone or Jerome Smith sees the final 10 percent of the snaps. More likely would be a true 50-50 split from the two backs.
All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats, ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He's also the Featured Draft Analyst for Pro Football Spot.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
