Free Agent Big Board for the Falcons: Cornerbacks

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The Falcons are in an interesting spot when it comes to their secondary going into 2022. They got encouraging play from Isaiah Oliver in a nickel role before a season-ending injury, and Fabian Moreau played well enough for a second corner. They have a superstar in AJ Terrell, and they have the potential to pair him with another star corner with the 8th pick in the draft. Regardless, you can never have enough talented corners in today’s NFL, and the Falcons should look to add some insurance to help a historically poor pass defense.

 

 

12. Donte Jackson — Carolina Panthers

Jackson has had an up-and-down career with the Carolina Panthers, but at the end of the day, he’s only 26 years old and a quality option if the Falcons want to add some depth at the position. He’s still a top-notch athlete at the position.

 

11. Desmond King — Houston Texans

I was very high on Desmond King during last season’s free agency, but he had a disappointing season in Houston and Isaiah Oliver played the role that King would have played very well. I’d still pick him up based off versatility alone for a cheap deal.

 

10. Fabian Moreau — Atlanta Falcons

In my opinion, Fabian Moreau caught a lot of unfair heat from Falcons fans last season. He had some tough games, but he was a fine CB2, but I’d like to see him back in Atlanta as the third cornerback. If the Falcons draft a guy like Derek Stingley Jr., Moreau makes a lot of sense as a guy you can rotate in for nickel sets alongside Isaiah Oliver (who we’ll get to in a moment).

 

9. D.J. Reed — Seattle Seahawks

Reed would be one of my favorite under-the-radar pickups for Atlanta, he’s a smaller corner at only 5’9, but he has been highly productive for Seattle serving as a run defender out of the slot. He would be an interesting piece for Dean Pees.

 

8. Ahkello Witherspoon — Pittsburgh Steelers

A former teammate of Isaiah Oliver, Witherspoon has actually been really good for the Seahawks and Steelers over the past two seasons. He’s only 26 years old, and he would be a high value addition that shouldn’t break the bank. He can play across multiple schemes, and I think he’s a guy the Falcons will be very interested in.

 

7. Charvarius Ward — Kansas City Chiefs

Ward is surprisingly only 25 years old, he feels like a guy who has been around the league forever. He’s a sticky man corner that could be a fantastic complement to AJ Terrell.

 

6. Mike Hughes — Kansas City Chiefs

Widely considered a bust after a few bad years with the Vikings, the former first round pick Hughes was traded to the Chiefs for peanuts and was extremely productive for them this year. Now he’s hitting free agency at 25, and the Falcons could look to add a promising young pice for now and in the future.

 

5. J.C. Jackson — New England Patriots

Jackson is a bit lower on this list than you would expect, and while I’d love to add a corner who can turn over the ball at the level that he does, the Falcons may not be able to afford his services. If the Falcons do pony up for Jackson, they’d have one of the scariest cornerback tandems in the entire NFL.

 

4. Steven Nelson — Philadelphia Eagles

I think when you consider price, role, and value of play — Steven Nelson makes a lot of sense for the Falcons. He’s a bit older at 29 years old, but he’s a guy who can lock down a second cornerback role and give you high level play week in and week out.

 

3. Carlton Davis — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Like Jackson, Davis might be well out of Atlanta’s price range. However, the Falcons would have to be giddy if they had the opportunity to acquire a 25 year old playmaker like Davis. Although he’s a physical man corner, he understands and executes zone concepts at a high rate.

 

2. Isaiah Oliver — Atlanta Falcons

While Oliver was the butt of a lot of jokes among Falcons fans, he was playing extremely good football before he went down with injury. I often compare his role in Dean Pees’ defense to that of Logan Ryan, and even off of an injury, the Falcons seem to have finally found a fit for the former second-round pick out of Colorado.

 

1. Darious Williams — Los Angeles Rams

I was high on Darious Williams going into 2021 free agency, but the Rams placed a first round tender on him and kept him in LA, which obviously worked out for them. Williams is a perfect second corner for a team like the Falcons, the question is — does he want to be paid like a number one corner?

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