UConn Guard Zach Hurd

Much of the recent talk has been the discussion of impending veteran free agency, but forgotten is the fact that teams have yet to sign undrafted free agents to fill out their roster. Not counting unrestricted free agents, the Falcons roster count stands at 62. Presumably a new CBA will maintain the roster limit at 80 for this year’s NFL training camps. If the Falcons manage to retain roughly half of their twelve potential unrestricted free agents, that means up to a dozen or so undrafted guys might be added to bolster the roster.

Here is a position-by-position look at some potential candidates that the Falcons could and/or should look at:

Quarterbacks

Last year, the Falcons brought only 3 quarterbacks to camp. This year they might do the same since it’s unlikely that a fourth quarterback is going to be able to make an impact on the fly. Although with Redman and Wilson both entering contract years, it makes sense for the team to try and have a fourth arm on the practice squad as an insurance policy.

Good Candidate(s): Pat Devlin (Delaware), Adam Froman (Louisville), Adam Weber (Minnesota)

The Falcons took an interest in both Froman and Weber in the lead-up to the draft. Devlin has some nice long-term upside and could have been a middle round pick had he put together a better off-season. None of these guys offer a lot of upside for the Falcons besides being long-term backups.

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I’ve gone through this twice before, once before camp started and once midway through camp. But now the final roster cuts are upon us, and I’m going to pick the 53 players I think will be Falcons on opening day.

Quarterbacks

Starter: Matt Ryan
Backups: Chris Redman, John Parker Wilson

This is a no-brainer.

Running Backs

Starters: Michael Turner, Ovie Mughelli
Backups: Jason Snelling, Jerious Norwood, and FREE AGENT

I think the Falcons will keep five running backs, with the fifth filling the same slot that Aaron Stecker filled last year. But I don’t think Antone Smith or Dimitri Nance have played at a high enough level to earn that role. So I think the Falcons will sign someone. Dan Klecko is a good special teams player and his versatility can be an asset, but he’s not a good enough blocker from what I’ve seen this summer to merit keeping around.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Roddy White, Michael Jenkins
Backups: Harry Douglas, Brian Finneran, Eric Weems, Troy Bergeron

I think the injury to Jenkins will make the Falcons keep six receivers to start the season. I think Bergeron has done the most to earn that sixth spot, but it would not surprise me one bit if the Falcons sought a veteran receiver to fill this spot.

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The Falcons first units got an extensive workout for the third preseason game against the Dolphins. And while the offense didn’t quite look like it was in midseason form, there were some good individual performances from a few players. The defense looked a little sharper, but there are still some questions going into the final exhibition contest. The team will make their first roster cut down by Tuesday in which they will have to release at least four players to get down to the limit of 75.

Stock Up

WR Harry Douglas – Douglas appears to be progressing nicely on his recovery from a season-ending knee injury last year. In the Dolphins game he flashed some of his trademark quickness and burst on his way to a 4-catch, 41-yard effort. He made a key grab to convert a 3rd & 11 on the Falcons initial scoring drive, which set up the touchdown pass to Roddy White on the very next play. And he had a nice 26-yard catch and run on the team’s scoring drive in the third quarter that put the team in the redzone, leading to a touchdown pass to Brian Finneran three plays later. If Michael Jenkins has an extended absence, Douglas is doing a nice job instilling some confidence that at least one of the team’s reserve receivers appears poised to step up and help.

TE Michael Palmer – Palmer has had a nice summer, showing good hands as he paves his way for a possible third tight end position. The incumbent is Keith Zinger, who was used almost exclusively as a blocker last year in goalline and short-yardage situations. It remains to be seen how impressed the team has been with Palmer’s run blocking, but he at least clearly is an upgrade as far as the passing game goes. He probably has shown enough that he merits a practice squad role at the least, but has a good shot at landing a spot on the 53-man roster.

LB Sean Weatherspoon – Weatherspoon made his second start on the strongside vs. the Dolphins, and from all indications appears that he will open up the season in that same position. Along with the team’s other linebackers, he certainly did his part to limit the Dolphins running attack to 46 total yards on 18 carries (2.6 avg) with a 4-tackle effort. Through three games and three starts, Weatherspoon has tallied 11 tackles, showing some of his trademark speed and range in run support.

Stock Down

K Matt Bryant – While a missed extra point in the Dolphins game may have had more to do with the dirt-laden field conditions of Land Shark Stadium, it still just underscores the fact that Bryant hasn’t instilled a ton of confidence with his kicking so far this summer. Given the inconsistency that the Falcons had last season in the kicking game with Jason Elam, Bryant may be facing a bit more pressure and extra scrutiny. The Falcons aren’t likely to make a change at this point in the summer, but the leash will be fairly tight and short once the regular season begins.

WR Brian Finneran – Although he made a nice grab on a scoring strike from Chris Redman vs. the Dolphins, he hasn’t really shown he’s in sync with starter Matt Ryan. Ryan showed an overwhelming tendency to target Roddy White in the Dolphin game, with 12 of his 26 passes going to No. 84. Finneran on the other hand only had one pass go his way from Ryan. As the Falcons look for a viable stopgap option in the absence of Michael Jenkins on the outside, Finneran hasn’t inspired a ton of confidence with his preseason performances.

CB Dunta Robinson – While it’s hard to blame the Falcons for playing it safe and keeping Robinson sidelined for fear of him aggravating a hamstring injury, it certainly hasn’t eased any doubts over whether the Falcons made the smart decision to sign Robinson to a big money contract this past spring.  Hamstrings are notorious for taking some time to heal, and the Falcons maybe being extra cautious given the issues safety William Moore had a year ago. The Falcons can’t really afford to have Robinson get off to a slow start in the regular season, as the secondary will draw tough assignments against explosive receivers like Mike Wallace, Larry Fitzgerald, and Robert Meachem and physical ones like Hines Ward and Marques Colston early in the season. Last summer, Robinson missed the entire training camp due to a contract holdout, and it was proabbly no coincidence that the Texans secondary gave up 272 passing yards to a mediocre Jets passing attack in Week 1. The Falcons cannot afford a repeat of that this year.

We’re halfway through the preseason and training camp has finally wrapped up. I wanted to look at the final roster prediction that I made at the start of camp to see if there were any revisions that I wanted to make.

And there aren’t a lot.

QB: This spot remains unchanged with Ryan, Redman, and Wilson locking up spots.

RB: I am not as confident with my prediction of Antone Smith, because I think he and Dimitri Nance overall have been relatively even. However, I am tending to lean towards the Falcons signing a veteran running back off the waiver wires come the end of this month rather than going with either of the youngsters. I do think the Falcons will keep a fourth running back because of the injuries woes of Jerious Norwood. I just am less sure it will be someone currently on this roster, and instead Smith or Nance will wind up on the practice squad. And I don’t think Klecko has shown enough to stick as an extra fullback.

WR: At wide receiver, Meier is out for the year with injury. And because of the injury to Jenkins, I still think the team will keep six wideouts. I think Bergeron is the front runner for that sixth and final roster spot, although again, I do think the Falcons will be paying attention to which players are cut next week in case a veteran becomes available.

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It’s time to look at who’s stock is up and down after the second preseason game. The Falcons have just one more preseason game before they much begin to make roster cuts and decisions.

Stock Up

WR Troy Bergeron - With the season-ending injury to Meier, the Falcons are likely in need for some roster help at this position. And right now, Bergeron is probably the only one of the “camp bodies” at wide receiver that has thus far distinguished himself in preseason games. He’s tied for the lead among all receivers with four receptions, including a nice run after the catch on a 19-yard score vs. the Patriots. Bergeron’s eligibility for the practice squad has expired, so the only way he can stick is to be on the team’s 53-man roster when all is said and done. And right now, he’s given the team the most to date to why he deserves over the other guys who actually can go on the practice squad.

TE Justin Peelle - Not only is Meier’s injury a potential boon for a player like Bergeron, it might also help Justin Peelle. With all the injuries and question marks the Falcons are facing at the wide receiver, there is no question as to what Peelle’s value is. And if those issues linger at wide receiver, the team may be forced to use a lot more two-tight end sets as the regular season begins. And Peelle thus far has shown that he is ready for the increased workload with 4 receptions thus far in the preseason, including 3 vs. the Patriots. To date, Peelle has caught more passes from Matt Ryan than Harry Douglas has, so relatively speaking he is a trusted option that can take pressure off the other receivers as the season nears.

DE Lawrence Sidbury – While Kroy Biermann has garnered most of the headlines and hype this summer, Sidbury has quietly done a good job pressuring the quarterback as well. He got a sack in what was essentially garbage minutes vs. the Patriots, but he’s shown a greater burst and quickness off the edge than he displayed last season and summer, and looks like he is well on his way to being a key contributor in the team’s rotation.

Stock Down

CB Dominique Franks - This is not in reference to what Franks can do on defense, as he showed some improvement this past week vs. the Patriots in coverage. This is in regards to his special teams production. Franks is in the midst of a competition with Eric Weems over return duties, but thus far has been unimpressive. He has fair caught four punts, and his lone return vs. the Patriots was a 7-yard loss in which he looked amateurish, trying to run to break a big play but rather picking up a loss of yardage. This week vs. Miami may be his last chance to really shine and unseat the much more battle tested and consistent Weems.

S Matt Giordano – While Shann Schillinger made his preseason debut with a couple of tackles and a nice interception, Giordano premiered vs. the Patriots by being the victim on two bad plays where he was caught out of position. One of which resulted in a touchdown. While the fourth safety spot was likely always Schillinger’s to lose, Giordano did little to at least make it interesting and inspire confidence in the coaching staff that a veteran hand like his is necessary. Barring a brilliant performance next week vs. the Dolphins, and a flop on the part of Schillinger it would seem that the job is locked up.

RB Dimitri Nance – While he still may maintain a slight lead on Antone Smith in the competition for the fourth running back position, Nance did little vs. the Patriots to separate himself from the pack. Despite looking promising on two touchdown runs vs. the Chiefs, and thus far being the more reliable of the pair as a receiver out of the backfield, Nance’s fumble vs. the Patriots has made this battle much more even. And while some of the blame may rest on the blocking he’s received up front, his 2.1 yards per carry average is far from impressive. Especially when Smith has it practically doubled.

It’s time to look at a handful of players whose stock is up or down based on their performances through the first game of the preseason.

Stock Up

Kroy Biermann, DE - Expectations that Biermann would be able to step up his game were not let down with a good preseason opener. Two tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble indicate that Biermann seems poised to build off a breakout year as a pass rusher.

Dominique Franks, CB – He is not in the mix to be a starter this year, and probably doesn’t have a realistic shot of winning the nickel role, but Franks has reportedly had a strong camp so far, and continue to flash his ability in the game against the Chiefs. He showed his tackling ability with two good sticks on Chiefs receivers. He missed another tackle by taking a bad angle and gave up another long play in coverage, indicating that he still has a ways to go before he can be a reliable contributor on defense. But if his tackling ability is any indicator, Franks should be a valuable contributor early on special teams. Chris Owens had a similar path a year ago, going from special teams maven into regular contributor on defense by year’s end.

Kerry Meier, WR – We continue to hear nice things about the fifth round pick who has snagged everything so far at camp. Meier finished the preseason opener with two catches for 27 yards. He isn’t likely a serious option to fill in time for the vacant Michael Jenkins, but if Meier continues to play at a high level, he may get opportunities on offense rather than being relegated to special teams duty only. He has a chance to pass Eric Weems as the teams’ No. 4 receiver with Jenkins out of the lineup.

John Parker Wilson, QB – It seems the Falcons decision to enter camp with only three arms (one short of the usual in the NFL) seems to be a smart move since Wilson has performed at a level that makes a fourth arm pointless. Wilson didn’t have a great night statistically, completing 8 of 16 passes for 80 yards, but shined at times making some really good throws and showing his NFL arm.

Stock Down

William Moore, S – Moore has missed time by re-aggravating a groin injury he suffered in the spring. Many expected Moore to be a serious challenger for a starting position at strong safety, but he has yet to prove he can remain healthy for a long enough stretch to give the coaching staff something to think about. Barring some absolutely brilliant performances in the remaining preseason games, it would appear Erik Coleman is locked in as the starter for at least another year.

Antone Smith, RB – Despite leading the Falcons in rushing on Friday night’s game against the Chiefs, Smith had at least two key drops in the passing game. He is in direct competition with undrafted rookie Dimitri Nance for a potential fourth running back spot on the depth chart. Given that spot’s role likely to be limited to third downs and special teams, whichever of the two proves to be the more reliable receiver would likely go a long way to settling the competition.

Tomorrow the Falcons will kick off two days of joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Monday and Tuesday, the two teams will hold morning and afternoon practices which are open to the public in Flowery Branch.

Combining practices makes sense for the two teams due to their regional proximity as well as giving both teams players a chance to redirect their aggression towards non-teammates. Both coaching staffs are very familiar with one another as Falcons head coach Mike Smith spent five seasons as the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville under Jack Del Rio.

There will be some familiar faces across the sidelines. Current Falcons Mike Peterson, Brett Romberg, Brian Williams, and Joe Zelenka all are former Jaguars that played under Del Rio. Also last year’s fifth round pick, cornerback William Middleton is currently a Jaguar. As is linebacker Tony Gilbert, who the team signed earlier today.

The Falcons will get another opportunity to see the Jaguars on their own turf this summer when they close out their preseason schedule on September 2 with a game in Jacksonville. The Falcons will use these two days of practices and scrimmages to gear up for their preseason opener later this week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.

The Falcons will also have joint practices later in the month against the New England Patriots before their second preseason match up on August 19.

Chris Owens

First off, let me point out ATLJBO’s excellent highlight video of Chris Owens on YouTube. Because this was what first put the nugget in my head that Owens would win the competition this year at cornerback. What probably stands out to you as you finish the clip, is how good Owens was against the run last year. He made several big hits and good tackles there. I also noticed this in the final weeks of the season when I was recently reviewing games for Moneyball.

This shouldn’t be underestimated. Over the years, tackling has become a lost art among cornerbacks and defensive backs in general. To the point that if and when you come across a corner that does it well, it makes him stand out. This is one of the reasons why the Falcons brass have been so keen on Dunta Robinson over the years.

I also noticed that the times when Owens was beat in coverage, it was largely due to poor footwork and sloppy technique. I believe that new assistant secondary coach Tim Lewis was indicating this when he was interviewed by the AJC back in February and talked specifically about improving these things. If Lewis is successful at getting these corners to improve their technique and footwork, then Owens stands to potentially benefit the most.

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D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reports that progress has been made in the negotiations between the Falcons and top draft pick Sean Weatherspoon. Per Ledbetter, it’s possible that with a “push” tomorrow morning, Weatherspoon could be signed in time to report on time with the rest of the team for  team meetings on Thursday evening. However, the Falcons don’t hold their first practice until Friday morning at 8:30 AM, giving the team a bit more time to finalize a deal.

As of Wednesday night, only two other first round picks had been signed elsewhere in the league: 24th overall pick Dez Bryant and 27th overall pick Devin McCourty. Weatherspoon was the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

The Falcons have not had a prolonged rookie holdout under the Smith-Dimitroff regime. 2008 first round pick Sam Baker did miss part of the team’s first practice due to the league working to approve his contract, while fellow ’08 top pick Matt Ryan and ’09 first rounder Peria Jerry were signed on time. 2007 top pick Jamaal Anderson also missed part of his first practice with the team in training camp. The Falcons haven’t had a prolonged holdout from a top pick since Roddy White nearly missed the entire first week of training camp in 2005.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reports that Falcons head coach Mike Smith indicated that three players returning from season-ending knee injuries in 2009, are all medically cleared to practice once the Falcons begin training camp practices on Friday, July 30. Those three players are Harry Douglas, Peria Jerry, and Brian Williams.

According to Smith, all three will be brought along slowly and be limited to one practice a day. The Falcons will open camp with five days of a two-a-day practices. Ledbetter writes that there were notions that all three players could begin camp on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) list, indicating their inability to practice.

Douglas suffered a torn ACL during the first week of training camp last summer. Jerry went down with his injury in the second game of the regular season, and Williams in the fifth. Williams also tore his ACL, but the specific details Jerry’s injury has never been disclosed by team officials. According to some sources, it may have been bone related.