Even after the Falcons took A.J. Terrell in the first round of the NFL draft, Brandon Carr, who we’ve talked about several times on this site, just makes way too much sense.
The former Raven is as steady as they come. He isn’t an elite corner, and never has been — shown by the fact that he’s never made a Pro-Bowl over his 12-year career. However, Carr has started every game over that span — good for a ridiculous 196-game start streak, and in 2019, he only surrendered 38 receptions on 69 targets and 502 yards. Carr did give up 4 TDs, but keep in mind — with Baltimore — 90% of the time opponents were playing from behind and airing it out.
The Falcons don’t have much cap space remaining (currently just over $2 million). However, over $10 million will be added on June 2nd when Desmond Trufant’s cut becomes official. As Chase Irle mentioned earlier today, the Falcons draft class should account for a cap hit of $6-7 million, leaving them with $5+ million to spare. Atlanta can also restructure Julio Jones’ contract to open up nearly $8 million more in cap space if they so wish. At this stage in his career, going on 34-years-old, Carr shouldn’t cost more than $4 million, well within the Falcons price range.
Consistency in the secondary is something Atlanta has sorely been lacking, and Carr is the perfect cheap and steady presence to pair along with the young corners. Perhaps the likes of A.J. Terrell, Isaiah Oliver, and Kendall Sheffield are prepared to take the reins as the full-time starters as early as next year. But when talking about the secondary, it is better to be safe than sorry, and the Falcons have been burned far too many times by not adding enough corners. On top of everything, having a 12-year veteran to coach up these youngsters can only benefit them. Brandon Carr should undoubtedly be a target for the Falcons if they’re looking to bring in another option at cornerback.
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