It has been often talked about how the Atlanta Falcons don't have depth at two crucial positions along the defense—edge rusher and cornerback.
It is worth repeating because these are two of the more important positions on a football team and this team is sitting on the edge of a cliff that could ruin their season. The Falcon simply doesn't have enough to get through a full season at these two positions.
Falcons are dooming their defense with lack of depth
Overall, the Atlanta Falcons have built a viable contender, on paper. They have a quarterback, offensive playmakers, the most stable offensive line in the league, a deep defensive line, and a solid secondary.
With that being said, this is a physical sport that can run teams dry at every position. The Falcons do not have depth at either cornerback or edge rusher and it is a major concern.
Edge rusher depth:
- Arnold Ebiketie
- Lorenzo Carter
- Bralen Trice
- DeAngelo Malone
- Bradlee Anae
- James Smith-Williams
- Demone Harris
- Kehinde Oginni Hassan
Cornerback depth:
- A.J. Terrell
- Clark Phillips III
- Dee Alford
- Mike Hughes
- Antonio Hamilton
- Kevin King
- Natrone Brooks
- Trey Vaval
- Anthony Johnson
- Jayden Price
- Harrison Hand
As you can see, the Falcons have quantity at corner and edge, but they don't have quality.
We all have high hopes for Arnold Ebiketie. Bralen Trice, and DeAngelo Malone, but what if they don't become starting-caliber players this year? What if a couple of them get hurt and miss significant time? Those are major issues at a position the Falcons were able to scrape by at last year.
A.J. Terrell is an All-Pro level corner and Clark Phillips played well on the outside as a rookie. They are the two starters but what if one of them gets hurt? Dee Alford is strictly a slot and Hughes is best inside, so they shouldn't take over. Raheem Morris would have to throw Antonio Hamilton or Kevin King out there which would be a disaster.
Just one injury at either position could have profound effects on this team. They have not built enough depth and that could result in weekly offensive shootouts—pressure we don't want to put on our new quarterback.
