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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons Open To Trading Down; Keanu Neal Likes Atlanta Fit

April 21st, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons currently the hold the No. 17 pick in the first round, but they are open to trading down, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com detail. GM Thomas Dimitroff has been aggressive in moving up the draft board in past years, but with this draft class being extremely deep, a move down is more enticing.

“We’ve looked at all the different scenarios, of course, and having few picks this year gives us an opportunity,” Dimitroff said of the Falcons’ strategy. “We think the draft has some really good strength from No. 15 on — obviously, as well as at the front of the draft. But we think there’s some good opportunities all the way through into the third round. So, it does present options to potentially move back.”

  • Former Florida safety Keanu Neal says the Falcons would be the ideal fit for him, as McClure writes in a separate piece. “For me, schematically, yes,” Neal said. “I feel like that’s a great fit for me and my style of play. The coaching staff is authentic. I can tell they really care about each other and the program. I feel like [secondary coach] Marquand Manuel can really help me out as a person and a player. And Coach [Dan] Quinn, he’s a tremendous head coach. Getting under him, getting under his wing and learning will skyrocket my career.”

Falcons Not Pursuing Josh Norman

April 21st, 2016 at 7:05pm CST by Zachary Links
  • Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff says the team is not interested in signing Norman, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “We are not going in that direction,” Dimitroff said.
  • The Falcons are also in on Norman, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. He adds that the bidding for Norman is likely to go higher than Janoris Jenkins’ free agent deal of $62.5MM over five years.

Falcons Have Talked To Dominique Easley

April 21st, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said he’s spoken with free agent defensive tackle Dominique Easley, but no signing appears imminent, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Quinn coached Easley at Florida, so the connection makes some sense on the surface. Easley, of course, was somewhat surprisingly waived by New England last week.Dominique Easley (Featured)

Easley, 24, was selected 29th overall in the 2014 draft by the Patriots, despite the fact that he was recovering from a torn ACL at the time. Although he made it back to the field for his rookie season, he was limited to just 11 games, and played in only 11 more in 2015, having been plagued by hip, knee, and ankle issues.

Before he landed on injured reserve in December of 2015, Easley picked up 15 tackles and two sacks in his sophomore NFL season, and received a solid Pro Football Focus grade. Given his decent play when he was healthy, his first-round pedigree, and the fact that he still had guaranteed money remaining on his contract, Easley’s release came as bit of shock, despite his injury woes.

However, later reports indicated that injuries weren’t the only factor that led to Easley’s release. Injury protocols, an outstanding lawsuits, and a penchant for aggressive dogs were all listed as reasons for the split, and locker room issues could have also come into play. Sources said Easley is “unreliable and immature,” and an unnamed former teammate referred to him as a “locker room cancer.” Said one source to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe:“I think he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. He comes across as an entitled kid. He reneges on everything. He thinks he’s invincible.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Falcons Eye Joe Dahl, Clay DeBord, Lawrence Thomas

April 20th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) adds the Falcons, Lions, and Titans to the long list of teams that either worked out Washington State offensive lineman Joe Dahl or hosted him for a visit. Earlier this month, a report indicated that 10 other teams had interest in Dahl, with many of those clubs planning visits or workouts.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post writes that the Titans and Bengals were among the teams that hosted Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah for pre-draft visits.
  • The list of clubs that Eastern Washington offensive lineman Clay DeBord has worked out for or visited includes the 49ers, Lions, Jets, Falcons, Buccaneers, Titans, and Cardinals, tweets Rand Getlin.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press provides a couple updates on local prospects, tweeting that Michigan State defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas has worked out for the Lions, Patriots, Falcons, and Titans, and adding (via Twitter) that Central Michigan tight end Ben McCord has previously visited the Dolphins. McCord is participating in the Lions’ local workout day, while Thomas isn’t.

Falcons Re-Sign Chris Chester

April 20th, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

3:51pm: Chester’s one-year deal will be worth a maximum of $2.5MM, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan.

2:06pm: The Falcons have brought back one of the starts from their 2015 offensive line, announcing today in a press release that they’ve re-signed veteran guard Chris Chester. Terms of Chester’s new deal have not yet been reported.Falcons Helmet (Featured)

Chester, who signed a one-year deal with the Falcons last May, started all 16 games for the fifth straight season, serving as Atlanta’s full-time right guard. Since entering the league in 2006, the 33-year-old has spent time in Baltimore, Washington, and now Atlanta, starting 127 of his 153 total regular-season games, with eight playoff contests under his belt as well.

A report earlier this month indicated that Chester underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in the offseason, suggesting he may not be healthy until June. However, the Falcons were apparently confident enough that he’ll make a full recovery that they didn’t want to wait until then to lock him up.

In 2015, Chester ranked as the 24th-best guard out of 81 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus’ grades. PFF assigned the veteran lineman a somewhat mediocre pass-blocking grade, but he scored very well as a run blocker.

Chester currently projects as the Falcons’ starter at right guard again in 2016, though the team could add some competition via the draft.

Desmond Trufant Wants To Stay In Atlanta For "Long Time"

April 20th, 2016 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams
  • The Falcons have yet to officially exercise the fifth-year option for cornerback Desmond Trufant, but that’s essentially a formality, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The Pro Bowl corner intends to remain in Atlanta “for a long time,” as he tells McClure. Trufant is one of more than 20 players whose teams haven’t yet announced decisions on their options for 2017, as our tracker shows.

Falcons Hosted Virginia Tech Edge Defender Dadi Nicolas

April 19th, 2016 at 10:18pm CST by Luke Adams
  • The Falcons hosted Virginia Tech edge defender Dadi Nicolas for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Nicolas has also visited Washington, per Aaron Wilson of NFPost.com, and made previously reported trips to Arizona and Pittsburgh this month.

Falcons Interested In Michigan State OT Jack Conklin

April 19th, 2016 at 7:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • Michigan State offensive tackle and prospective first-rounder Jack Conklin has met with or worked out for the Titans, Bills, Chargers, Steelers, Falcons, Jets, Colts, Buccaneers and Lions, he told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
  • Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett worked out for and/or visited the Panthers, Titans, Falcons, Patriots, Chargers, Packers and previously reported Jets, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Falcons Hosting Sharrod Neasman For Visit

April 19th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams
  • Florida Atlantic safety Sharrod Neasman is also paying a visit to the Cowboys this week, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). However, before heading to Dallas, Neasman is heading to Atlanta today to meet with the Falcons, says Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, adding that the Lions have also either worked out or hosted the safety.

Falcons Targeting Linebackers; Meeting With Emmanuel Ogbah

April 18th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Following the trend set by the Rams and the Cardinals, among others, the Falcons will be eyeing hybrid linebacker/safeties in this year’s draft, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details. Los Angeles’ Mark Barron and Arizona’s Deone Bucannon are just two examples of “safeties” who have morphed into linebacker roles, and several prospects in the 2016 draft, including LSU’s Deion Jones, USC’s Su’a Cravens, and Florida’s Keanu Neal — all of whom Atlanta has met with — could make a similar transition.

“In the college game, they are more spread out,” said Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. “They are more open. You’re seeing more space players come out, who are the 215-, 225-pound linebackers who are outside and playing in space. Those players, we are finding ways to feature them at the NFL level as well because of their athletic ability.”

  • Even if they do end up targeting hybrid linebackers in the draft, the Falcons still need to add talent and depth at the prototypical LB position, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com in his overview of the club as they open offseason workouts. Ohio State’s Darron Lee and Alabama’s Reggie Ragland could both be options for Atlanta at No. 17, opines McClure, who adds that edge-rusher is also near the top of the Falcons’ list of draft needs.
  • Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah will take a short tour of the NFC South this week, as he’s lined up visits with both the Falcons and the Panthers, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The 6’4″, 270-pound edge rusher could very well be available at either pick No. 17 or No. 30, where Atlanta and Carolina currently sit, respectively.
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