Akeem Dent

A year ago, I questioned whether drafting Dent was a good move by the Falcons. That question could be quickly answered with Dent poised to make significantly more contributions in 2012 due to the void of two departed players.

Those two players include middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and special teams ace Eric Weems. Last year, almost all of Dent’s contributions came on special teams, but this year he’ll be asked to make greater contributions on defense.

I was not surprised to find that Dent excelled on special teams last year. According to Football Outsiders, he tied for the league-lead with return stops last year. Their definition of a stop is similar to what is credited via Moneyball as a tackle on special teams. Dent paced the Falcons last year with 5.5 tackles on kickoff returns of less than 20 yards, and also was also tied for third on the team with 2.5 tackles on punt returns which held opponents to returns of 5 or less yards. And almost all of Dent’s production on special teams came in the second half of the season when the Falcons were able to coax more production out of kickoff specialist and punter Matt Bosher. It also indicates Dent’s improvement over the course of the season.

Where Dent is much more untested is on defense. The team signed veteran Lofa Tatupu at the outset of the off-season to give them veteran insuranc. He and Dent are expected to compete for the starting middle linebacker spot vacated by Lofton. The team will likely choose Tatupu because of his experience, leadership, and also the simple fact that the less work Dent gets on defense means the more work he can get on special teams where he is clearly valuable. But Dent is not going to make it easy for him.

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Frey takes one to the house in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl

A lot of talk has been made about the Falcons many undrafted additions at the wide receiver position that could be making the roster, including burner Cody Pearcy. But a player that might be going under the radar and has just as strong a chance to make the team’s final roster is former UConn Huskie and Kutztown Golden Bear Robbie Frey. Frey won’t have an easy road trying to make the Falcons roster, but his potential as a kickoff returner could give him a significant leg up.

With the loss of Eric Weems as the team’s primary return specialist, a big part of this summer’s training camp competitions will be to find a player or two that can replace him. The Falcons will likely rest on either Harry Douglas or Dominique Franks to return punts, both having done so before. But it leaves the competition for who will take over on kickoffs wide open.

That likely will mean that any one of the Falcons undrafted receivers and Frey will have an opportunity to shine and make the roster. Unlike the receivers, while Frey isn’t blessed with dynamic speed, he is unique in the sense that he was consistently productive and the most experience kickoff returner among the undrafted crop. The only other player with his level of experience is James Rodgers, and he’s been slowed by an ACL injury that he suffered in 2010, and is now still continuing to fight back from.

The departure of Ovie Mughelli does increase the odds that Frey coudl make the roster. The Falcons aren’t guaranteed to carry more than one fullback on the roster, something they did last season. The team carried Ovie Mughelli in that role until his injury, and then Mike Cox afterwards. They could do the same with fifth round pick Bradie Ewing being the run-away favorite to be the starter this season. Last year, they opted to keep four tailbacks in Michael Turner, Jacquizz Rodgers, Jason Snelling, and Antone Smith. Snelling’s ability to double as a lead blocker means that the team isn’t forced to carry more than one fullback at a time. Smith predominantly played on special teams, a role he shined in late in the year. But his roster status is far from a lock. And he’ll be pushed by Dimitri Nance and Frey for a potential fourth tailback spot. If Frey can prove himself as a return man, and also a capable gunner on special teams like Smith then he has as good a chance as anyone to make the roster. Another key part to the equation will be how well he can pick up the passing game. When Nance and Smith competed directly for the reserve role back in 2010, a big part of the reason why Smith made it and Nance did not was because Smith was the more polished player in pass protection. Frey did not have a ton of experience working in the passing game at either UConn or Kutztown, but if he can show he’s a quick study the team could give him the opportunity.

But the primary value Frey can bring to the table is kickoff return specialist. And while the rule changes to kickoffs have limited the ability of kickoff returners, it is not a throwaway position. The majority of kicks go into the endzone forcing teams to settle for touchbacks. But a good returner can add value if he can take kicks that would normally be called for touchbacks and get them beyond the 20-yard line to set up his team for success. If a team can trust it’s returner to be able to take kicks five or six yards deep and then turn that into a twenty-five or thirty yard gain, it is immensely valuable to an offense to give it the best possible field position. If Frey can showcase this kind of ability, and his extensive experience should help him, then he has as good if not a better shot than anyone of landing the role and finding a place on the roster.

It’s hard to predict the final 53, certainly at this point because injuries are always a factor. Guys get hurt in camp, and thus open up opportunities for others. The team also does a nice job scouring the waiver wire at the end of August for other teams’ cuts to add to the roster. And what areas they target depends heavily on which units did not bring the sort of competition envisioned. For example, if Ovie Mughelli is limited early in camp due to his recovering from his knee injury, it could open the door for either Mike Cox or Bradie Ewing to win the starting job. And if that is the case, it’s highly unlikely the team will keep Mughelli as a resreve. And if Ewing is the one that emerges as the starter, then it might prompt the team to keep one fullback on the roster, have Snelling serve as his primary backup, and thus keep a fourth tailback like Frey, Nance, or Smith.

First let’s go through the players that are locked in, meaning they are near certainties to make the roster unless injuries occur:

Quarterback (2): Matt Ryan, Chris Redman
Running Back (4): Michael Turner, Jacquizz Rodgers, Jason Snelling, Bradie Ewing
Wide Receiver (3): Julio Jones, Roddy White, Harry Douglas
Tight End (2): Tony Gonzalez, Michael Palmer
Offensive Line (5): Justin Blalock, Tyson Clabo, Todd McClure, Peter Konz, Lamar Holmes
Defensive End (3): Ray Edwards, John Abraham, Kroy Biermann
Defensive Tackle (2): Jonathan Babineaux, Corey Peters
Linebacker (4): Stephen Nicholas, Lofa Tatupu, Sean Weatherspoon, Akeem Dent
Cornerback (4): Brent Grimes, Dunta Robinson, Asante Samuel, Dominique Franks
Safety (2): William Moore, Thomas DeCoud
Specialist (2): Matt Bryant, Matt Bosher

That’s a grand total of 33 players that are locks to make the roster. That leaves 20 roster spots open. It’s likely that the following players will have the best chances to fill those:

Running Back (1): Ovie Mughelli
Wide Receiver (1): Kerry Meier
Offensive Line (2): Joe Hawley, Andrew Jackson
Defensive End (2): Lawrence Sidbury, Jonathan Massaquoi
Defensive Tackle (1): Vance Walker
Linebacker (1): Spencer Adkins
Cornerback (1): Darrin Walls
Safety (2): Shann Schillinger, Charles Mitchell

That’s 11 players that are strong probabilities that they will find their way on the final roster, leaving a total of 9 spots remaining.

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Ovie Mughelli

The Falcons used a fifth round pick on Saturday to take Wisconsin fullback Bradie Ewing. And it caused a lot of speculation that Ovie Mughelli’s tenure as an Atlanta Falcon will come to an end. And while that is certainly a possibility, given Ovie’s age (32), the fact that he’s coming off a knee injury, and cutting him can clear about $3 million off the Falcons 2012 salary cap. But if the Falcons are looking to make the best football decision, then keeping Mughelli is a must.

I’ve been vocal in the past about Michael Turner’s potential to have a detrimental effect on the Falcons offense. A big part of that is that Turner and Mughelli are tied at the hip. When Turner has big games, it almost always coincides with Ovie having big games as a blocker. The pair have worked together for four years, and much like the relationship between a quarterback and a wide out goes the relationship between a tailback and his lead blocker.

The Falcons are intent on keeping Turner, and having Mughelli block for him is the best strategy to getting the most out of Turner in 2012. While Ewing is a solid lead blocker, as a rookie he’s not likely to add significantly more value as a starter than Mike Cox would. Ewing just is not a physical, smashmouth pile-clearing lead blocker that Ovie is. And that style of football has made Turner one of the more productive runners over the past four seasons, and earned Ovie a reputation for being the league’s top blocking fullback alongside Vonta Leach.

Ovie’s knee injury is a concern, but unlikely to have lingering effects. All reports indicate that Ovie suffered an MCL tear which is not nearly as grievous as an ACL tear. In fact, most often MCL tears do not require surgery to properly heal, although Ovie did undergo season-ending surgery last season.

And while Ovie’s age might seem to indicate he is nearing the end, giving the longevity that other Pro Bowl fullbacks like Mack Strong (last season was at age 36), William Henderson (35), Lorenzo Neal (38), and Tony Richardson (39) in the past decade, there’s no reason to expect that Ovie has several years left in the tank.

As for the money issue, given that Ovie is entering the final year of his contract, the Falcon could easily lower his cap hit by adding another year to the deal. Ovie has a 2012 cap hit of $3.733 million, with $3 million of that being base salary. As a 10th year veteran, the minimum salary is $925,000. If the Falcons were to lower his 2012 base salary to $925,000, and add another year in 2013 for the same price, and then convert the difference ($3 million – $925,000 = $2.075 million) into a signing bonus, they could almost nearly cut Ovie’s 2012 cap hit in half. The savings of nearly $1.8 million would allow a much more palatable contract for the Falcons to handle this season.

Two of the more memorable moments of the Falcons 2011 season were their futile attempts in short-yardage during their Week 10 overtime loss against the New Orleans Saints and against the New York Giants in the opening round of the playoffs. Well it appears the Falcons have taken steps in the 2012 draft to correct those issues, by using their two picks on the second day of the draft on a pair of beefy offensive linemen. Wisconsin center Peter Konz was the Falcons second round pick (55th overall) and Southern Miss tackle Lamar Holmes was taken in the third (91st overall).

For more than a decade, center Todd McClure has been a fixture as the anchor of the Falcons offensive line. McClure, undersized by NFL standards at 6’1? 296 pounds, could potentially give way to the 6’5? 314-pound Konz in the future. Holmes standing at 6’5? 323, also is considerably larger than either of the men he could potentially replace in the future at left tackle: Sam Baker (6’5? 301) and Will Svitek (6’6? 308). Earlier this off-season, the team also signed free agent guard Vince Manuwai, who sports a 6’2″ 333-pound frame, the bulkiest on the team.

Konz is expected to immediately compete with Manuwai for the vacant right guard spot. Both McClure and Manuwai’s contract expire after the season, and it’s possible Konz could kick inside to center. Or he could potentially remain at right guard if Joe Hawley continues to improve. Holmes should be in the potential three-way competition at left tackle, but likely will be expected to fill in as the team’s swing tackle. With Tyson Clabo entrenched on the right side, that could mean that Baker and Svitek could be competing for a single roster spot this summer.

If the Falcons don’t manage to get push this upcoming season, it won’t be because they lack the beef to do so. It appears that the Falcons are planning on recommitting themselves to running the football this year, and in the future. But the added bodies via the draft, certainly will shake up competition and presumably at this point in time only McClure, Justin Blalock, and Clabo are assured roster spots among the incumbents. The rest of the lineup could be in a state of flux.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reports that free agent center Todd McClure has re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year agreement. McClure has been with the Falcons since 1999, being the longest tenured player. He was originally drafted in the seventh round out of LSU in that year, but missed the entire season due to an injury. He returned in 2000 to start 7 games. In 2002, he began a streak of starting every game for the team that would last 9 seasons until he was forced to sit out the season opener this past year. McClure managed to finished the year with 13 starts. His career total is 179 starts. His 182 career appearances is the fourth most in Falcons history, trailling only Mike Kenn (251), Jeff Van Note (245), and Jessie Tuggle (209).

Had McClure not been re-signed, it was expected that Joe Hawley would take over for him at center. Hawley replaced McClure for 3 starts last year, but also started 9 other games at right guard. The team added Vince Manuwai in free agency to take over that position.

The Falcons announced that they signed fullback Mike Cox and offensive tackle Kirk Chambers to take the roster spots of fullback Ovie Mughelli and guard Mike Johnson, who were placed on injured reserve today.

Cox played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, making the team first as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2008. He started for two seasons as their fullback, but split reps last year with Tim Castille. He was cut by the Chiefs at the end of this past summer’s camp. In three seasons with the Chiefs, Cox started 17 of 39 games, rushed 4 times for 3 yards and a touchdown, and also caught 22 passes. He is also the elder brother of Lucas Cox, a rookie free agent with the Falcons this past summer.

Cox was chosen among several free agent fullbacks that worked out with the team today. Per D. Orlando Ledbetter, along with Mike Karney and Jason McKie, the Falcons also worked out Lousaka Polite, and ex-Falcons Verron Haynes and Dimitri Nance.

The Falcons will be Chambers’ fifth NFL team. He was with the Detroit Lions this past summer, but was cut at the end of training camp. He finished the 2010 season with the Cincinnati Bengals, however was inactive for 6 out of the 7 weeks he was on the roster. He joined the Bengals after being released by the Bills at the end of the 2010′s training camp after playing three seasons in Buffalo. There, he started a total of 14 games in that span, filling at both tackle positions, as well as spending time at guard. Prior to joining the Bills before the 2007 season, he played two years with the Cleveland Browns, where he appeared in 21 games as a reserve guard and tackle. He was originally a 6th round pick by the Browns in the 2004 draft out of Stanford. Chambers versatility makes him an ideal reserve because he’s started, played, or practiced at all line positions except center. The bulk of his career however, he has played tackle.

Johnson, a third round pick by the Falcons in 2010, lost a competition with Garrett Reynolds for the starting right guard spot this past summer after suffering a concussion early on in camp. He had only appeared in the past two games of this year on special teams.

Updating previous reports, Knox Bardeen of CBS Sports reports that Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux will miss three to five weeks with a partial MCL tear according to his agent Jack Bechta. Babineaux suffered the injury during the Falcons opening day loss to the Chicago Bears, exiting the game but then later returning to play on it.

The knee injury will not require surgery, but has been known to hamper several players in recent years. Saints quarterback Drew Brees saw his production dip last year after playing with the injury for much of 2010. It was the same injury that knocked Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler out of the NFC Championship game. Saints cornerback Tracy Porter missed four games last year due to a torn MCL, and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da’Quan Bowers saw his draft stock fall months ago due to the same injury.

The Falcons are working out defensive tackle Derek Landri today, and likely will opt to shore up their depth since Corey Peters is nursing a knee injury of his own. If Peters is not healthy this week, it is likely that Vance Walker and Peria Jerry will fill the vacant starting spots inside the Falcons defensive line against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

Adam Caplan, formerly of FOX Sports reports that the Falcons are expected to work out free agent defensive tackle Derek Landri tomorrow. Landri could add key depth at the Falcons defensive tackle position due to an injury to starter Corey Peters, who suffered a knee injury four weeks ago. Landri was cut last week by the Philadelphia Eagles in their final roster cuts, despite having a strong summer.

Landri most recently played with the Carolina Panthers in 2010, where he started every game and recorded 43 tackles and 3 sacks. Prior to that, he spent three years as a reserve with the Jacksonville Jaguars, combining for 38 tackles and 3 sacks in 35 games. As a rookie in 2007, he played under Falcons head coach Mike Smith, who was then the Jaguars defensive coordinator. Landri was originally a 5th round draft choice out of Notre Dame.

UPDATE: The fact that the Falcons are working out Landri likely has to do with the partial MCL tear that Jonathan Babineaux suffered against the Bears in Week 1.

UPDATE: Jason La Canfora reports that the Falcons have agreed to terms with Hayden.

Jason La Canfora of NFL.com reports that free agent cornerback Kelvin Hayden visited the Falcons on Tuesday and could be on the verge of signing with them today.

Hayden was released by the Colts at the end of the lockout before camps opened up. He suffered a neck injury late last season, missing five games, and finished the year on the injured reserve. Reports indicate that he is back to full strength. He was cut by the Colts due to a high cap number (roughly $9 million) this season. Hayden has worked out with several teams including the Redskins, Bears, Chiefs, and Vikings over the past month, but has yet to finding a landing spot.

Hayden played six seasons for the Colts, including the last four as their starting cornerback. Prior to 2009, he signed a big extension with the Colts, but failed to live up to expectations after that point, in part due to injuries. He missed a combined 18 games over the past three seasons. His most productive years came in 2007 and 2008, where he combined for 125 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 22 passes defended. Last season in 11 games, he recorded 61 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 8 passes defended.

Questions have been raised about whether the Falcons young pair of corners: Dominique Franks and Chris Owens are going to be able to handle nickel duties this season after a lackluster preseason for both parties.