The Falcons reported to training camp today, and there are more than a few position battles that should intrigue fans. After all, the roster has been stripped of all the excess fat. The interior offensive line battle is the most crucial, in my opinion, to the overall success because the offense is what will lead this team, and if it falters, the Falcons won’t win many games. There are other positions, though, that will garner attention due to the sheer lack of personnel.
Even before the termination of Barkevious Mingo’s contract, the Falcons needed bolstering at the edge. Dante Fowler will surely have a bounceback season, but behind him, things look grim. Jacob Tuioti-Mariner and Adetokunbo Ogundeji are the only reserves at the position as it stands right now. However, I believe Mykal Walker and Brandon Copeland could provide some snaps at both off-ball and edge linebacker.
The cornerback room is also quite thin. A.J. Terrell will surely establish himself as one of the up-and-coming cover men in this league, but there are question marks surrounding the position group. Fabian Moreau is my pick of the litter to start the other boundary corner position as he showed well in limited snaps during his time in Washington. Isaiah Oliver showed some life when he was moved inside to the slot last season, which is where I assume he’ll get a majority of his snaps.
Regardless, there is reasonable hesitancy with these specific positions, but I believe Terry Fontenot isn’t done adding to the roster. Once teams go through training camp and get closer to cuts, there will be a flurry of players on the free-agent market that Fontenot will surely have his eyes on. He made his living finding bargain free agents in New Orleans that other teams didn’t want. In his first offseason with the Falcons, he showed he’ll use the same method — signing a bevy of veterans to cheap, one-year deals. Once teams start cutting players, Fontenot could scoop them up to bolster the roster. Below are a few players on their respective roster bubbles who could get cut that would shore up the Falcons weak areas.
Chuma Edoga, OT
Andre Smith, OT
Xavier Su’a-Filo, OL
Ben Banogu, DE
Taven Bryan, DT
Ty Sambrailo, OT
Andrew Wylie, G
Brandon Parker, OT
Nate Solder, OT
Dru Samia, G
Aldon Smith, DE
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