2017 Atlanta Falcons’ Defensive Backs preview

By: Ricardo Russ (@1788Sports, @RicardoLRuss)

In 2016, the Falcons’ secondary wasn’t exactly amazing, statistically or otherwise. The Falcons finished 28th in passing yardage given up and passing touchdowns allowed, and of course gave up over 400 yards passing on the biggest stage in the Super Bowl. I’d actually argue that they became clearly the weakest aspect of our team after Desmond Trufant went down in Week 9 and the D-Line and Linebackers improved.

That would normally seem like a death knell for the secondary’s hopes of improvement in 2017, particularly given that the Falcons didn’t make a big signing or spend much of their draft capital on the secondary, as the only new blood brought into the team was 5th round rookie Demontae Kazee. However, the return of Desmond Trufant alone should lead to massive progression, and that’s before you even get to the improvements that should be made by the rest of the secondary as they mature and are no longer adapting to the pace of the NFL.

The additional experience of the secondary is extremely important, because just like with the linebackers, Dan Quinn’s defensive system prides itself on speed and physicality and additional experience in this defensive scheme allows everyone, but particularly the DB’s, to play fast. Oliver Connolly of All22.com agrees, and goes even further to argue that the Falcons will have the 2nd best set of corners in the entire league. While I find it a bit premature to say that the Falcons’ corners will be *that* good, I do think that they will take a massive step up in their performance.

Depth Chart:

Corner	Free Safety	Strong Safety	Corner
Desmond Trufant	Ricardo Allen	Keanu Neal	Robert Alford
Brian Poole	Sharrod Neasman	Kemal Ishmael	C.J. Goodwin
Deji Olatoye	Demontae Kazee		Blidi Wreh-Wilson

*Jalen Collins would likely be the Falcons’ third corner,which would allow Robert Alford to play in the slot, but he is suspended for at least 10 games for violating the NFL’s PED policy.

Breakout Defensive Back of the season: Keanu Neal



The Falcons drafted Keanu Neal in 2016 in an effort to fill the role played by Kam Chancellor in Seattle in the Falcons’ defense, and I’d say that the former Florida Gator got off to a great start in that mission during the 2016 season. A safety playing in the role shared by Chancellor and Neal is generally responsible for playing in the box against the run, dropping into short zone coverage over the middle or covering tight ends, running backs, and slot receivers, and, above all else, serving as an enforcer. Neal was able to fulfill all of these roles in his rookie season, as he can play the run, cover, and of course, hit. This dude can bring the pain, and he adds that intimidation factor to the Falcons’ defense. Neal also has a knack for forcing fumbles, as he forced 5 fumbles,  which led all defensive backs. If anything, Neal could work on his ball skills, as he finished with 0 interceptions, and an improvement in that area would make the All-Rookie team safety even more effective.

Final Outlook:


While the Falcons’ secondary was a bit of a weakness in 2016, I am confident in asserting that it will be much harder for the Falcons’ opponents to pick on the defensive backs in 2017. The return of Desmond Trufant, a true shutdown corner, means that the Falcons’ opponents will be forced to throw away from him, which will in turn give the other members of the secondary chances to create drive-killing plays and force turnovers that will give the ball back to the Falcons’ explosive offense.