A day after the Super Bowl, Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn are not messing around. Long-time Falcons safety William Moore and first-year Falcon Justin Durant have been released from the team. While many might question the move, it comes as no surprise. Both players always seemed to be injured in games Atlanta needed them. Durability seems to be the main reason that both players were cut today.
The Atlanta Falcons chose William Moore in the second round in the 2009 NFL Draft. Moore played in 18 games over the past two seasons, while missing 14 games. Moore made the Pro Bowl in 2012, and was a solid safety for the Falcons until recently. In the 76 games he played in, he had 11 forced fumbles and 16 interceptions.
Justin Durant was signed with Atlanta as a free agent from Dallas in the past offseason. Durant played in 13 games this past season, but was forced to leave some of those games due to injury. He had 82 tackles with one forced fumble.
Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn are doing what they think is best for the present and future of this team. Moore and Durant were injury plagued throughout the 2015-2016 season, and they want guys who can stay healthy. Quinn also has stated he wants quicker linebackers, and he might have a plan in store in the near future.