On paper, the Falcons’ defense is far better than it was a year ago.
In addition to Jordan Fuller, Xavier Watts, and Billy Bowman Jr. in the secondary, the team added Leonard Floyd, James Pearce Jr., and Jalon Walker to strengthen the pass rush.
Jeff Ulbrich, who may not be an outstanding defensive coordinator, is perhaps more crucial to a possible turnaround than any one player. He is unquestionably superior to Jimmy Lake, who was a disaster for the Falcons the previous season.
Still, there are a few things that could be done better on that side of the ball. If the Falcons brought in a defender whose only job it was to block traffic, I’d sleep much better at night along the interior. I continue to believe that the Falcons need another starting cornerback.
On the other side of A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes will man the boundary. Although he may have been the 2024 season’s biggest surprise, he has had consistency issues throughout his career. Bowman, Clark Phillips, and Dee Alford will contend for the starting nickel position in the meantime.
Alford was BBQ chicken last year following a more than stellar 2023 campaign. It’s a risk, but perhaps it has something to do with Jimmy Lake. Bowman, a fourth-round rookie who played safety at Oklahoma, is switching to cornerback, and Phillips may have physical limitations that cannot be overcome by improvement.
That’s a lot of untested potential, and that doesn’t even account for the damage that Hughes or Terrell would bring to this team if they were injured. If the Falcons get a talented cornerback to go with Terrell and push everyone down the ladder, they might make a huge improvement from the previous season.
How coincidental!? Additionally, one recently become accessible! Ian Rapoport reports that Jaire Alexander was released by the Packers this morning.