Falcons: A list of the 16 veteran newcomers

Offensive lineman Chris Chester has the most experience with 137 NFL games played and 111 starts. Jared Smith, a developing offensive guard, was on Seattle's practice squad and has not played in a game yet.

The newcomers, most with either a Seattle or Washington background, will help Quinn and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan implement their schemes.

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Here's a look at the newcomers:

Phillip Adams, cornerback: He spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. He's started a combined eight games over those seasons, with eight pass deflections and three interceptions. Adams will likely compete for a nickel role. He was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (224th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He has spent time with the 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Raiders and Jets during his career. Overall, he's seen action in 12 contests with four starts, recording 20 tackles, one interception, and four passes defensed in 2014.Signed March 12. NFL experience: 65 games played. 8 starts.

Allen Bradford, linebacker: He's a converted running back who was selected by Tampa Bay in the sixth-round of the 2011 draft. In the Pros, Bradford was moved to linebacker. He was signed to Seattle's practice squad in Oct. of 2011, where he was switched to linebacker. Bradford has also spent time with the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns. He has played in 13 NFL games. In college, he played in 52 games for the Trojans and rushed for 1,585 yards on 267 carries (5.9 yards per carry) and scored touchdowns. Bradford ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at the combine back in 2011. Signed on Feb. 13. NFL experience: 13 games played. no starts.

Chris Chester, offensive guard: The former Washington Redskin, who was ranked lower than the departed Justin Blalock and Asamoah in recent years under profootballfocus.com's grading system, was signed for $2.8 million. Chester, 32, has started 111 of 137 games for the Ravens and Redskins. Chester was snapped up after being released by Washington. Last season, Blalock (26th) and Asamoah (24th) were rated higher than Chester (33rd) by profootballfocus.com. Blalock gave up three sacks, six hits and 20 quarterback hurries over 991 snaps. Chester gave up five sacks, three hits and 16 hurries. Signed May 20. NFL experience: 137 games played. 111 starts.

Adrian Clayborn, defensive end: A former first-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2011, has 13 career sacks. He played one game last season after tearing his biceps. He agreed to one-year deal, worth $3 million with another $1.25 million available through incentives. Clayborn, 26, also has battled a condition called Erb's Palsy, a disability that caused nerve damage to his right shoulder. He missed most of the 2012 season due to a torn ACL, he returned and played another full slate of games the next year and made 64 tackles and had 5.5 sacks. While he didn't flash the same type of burst off of the edge, he was still a solid contributor. The Falcons need him to rebound to help stop the run and add some spice to their pass rush. Signed March 12. NFL experience: 36 games played. 36 tarts.

Justin Durant, linebacker: He was a second-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007. He signed a three-year, $10.8 million contract with the Falcons after playing for Dallas last season. He's battled injuries over his career and is projected to replace Sean Weatherspoon, who signed with Arizona in free agency, at weakside

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

linebacker. Durant has started 80 of 95 games over eight seasons, in which he also played for the Lions and the Cowboys. Signed March 10. NFL experience: 95 games played. 80 starts.

Leonard Hankerson, wide receiver: Hankerson, 26, was signed to a one-year contract in free agency after playing four seasons in Washington, where he caught a career-high 57 passes in 2012 under new Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. He will compete to earn the top spot behind former Pro Bowl wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White. Hankerson, who was slowed by a hip injury as a rookie in 2011, battled to come back from knee surgery last season. Signed March 11. NFL experience: 31 games played. 14 starts.

Carlton Mitchell, wide receiver: He was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft out of South Florida. Mitchell played in 16 games for the Browns and made three catches for 31 yards last season. He knows the offense after playing under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan last season. Signed June 16. NFL experience: 16 games played. No starts.

Tony Moeaki, tight end: He had a monster rookie season with 47 catches and appeared headed for stardom in 2010. But injuries have stalled his career. Moeaki had a knee surgery and then later suffered a season-ending torn ACL during the 2011 exhibition season. He bounced back in 2012 with a 33-catch season. But after suffering a fractured shoulder, Moeaki was no longer in the plans for 2013 when a new regime took over. In 2013, after signing a two-year deal with Buffalo he suffered a major hamstring injury in training camp. He was placed on reserve/injured list on August 29th and was released from after reaching an injury settlement on Sept. 1. Last season, he played with Seattle for six games as he battled calf and shoulder injuries. He flashed his play-making ability on a 63-yard catch-and-run against the 49ers on Nov. 27. The only question is can he stay healthy enough to win the starting position. Signed March 19. NFL experience: 38 games played. 31 starts.

Collin Mooney, fullback: He was signed after spending two seasons with Tennessee. He was out of the league last year. He was signed by the Titans as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2012 draft. Mooney set a school record with 1,339 rushing yards during his senior season with the Black Knights. He has played in 14 NFL games with four starts. He appears to be a longshot to unseat DiMarco. After graduating he spent three years fulfilling his commitment to the U.S. Army. He was commissioned in the field artillery branch of the U.S. Army. Signed May 4. NFL experience: 14 games played. 4 starts.

Mike Person, offensive guard: He played in 16 games last season for the St. Louis Rams, but has no NFL starts. He played 60 snaps at left guard and gave up two quarterback hurries. He was listed among "others" outside of the top 10 tackles, who were free agents by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn, who commented: "A deep backup, Person's three-year deal was worth $3.35M ($500,000 guaranteed)." He's ended the offseason working with the first-team at left guard. So, he's somewhere between a starter and a "deep backup." Signed March 10. NFL experience: 16 games played. 0 starts.

Tyler Polumbus, offensive tackle: He's 30 and has played in 98 NFL games and made 57 starts. He started at right tackle for Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan 2011-2013 while with the Washington Redskins. He started four of five games in 2011, when he split the season between Washington and Seattle. He started 15 of 15 games in 2012 and 16 of 16 in 2013. Last season, he started seven of the 11 games he played in. He was the 62nd ranked tackle in the league who played more than 25 percent of his team's snaps, according to

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

profootballfocus.com. He played 491 snaps and gave up eight quarterback sacks and 13 quarterback hurries. Signed May 14. NFL experience: 98 games played. 57 starts.

Brooks Reed, linebacker: He played inside and outside linebacker with the Houston Texans for four seasons, signed a five-year, $22 million contract, with $9 million guaranteed. Reed, battled back from an offseason groin injury, worked at strongside linebacker in the offseason. Reed was drafted in the second round (42nd overall) in 2011 by the Texans, who selected J.J. Watt with the 11th pick of the first round. He started 52 of 60 games alongside Watt, who blossomed into one of the NFL's stars. Signed March 10. NFL experience: 60 games played. 52 starts.

O'Brien Schofield, linebacker: He was originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He spent time with the Cardinals and Seahawks, posting 111 total tackles (93 solo), 13.5 sacks three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one pass defense. Schofield played in all 16 regular season games and two playoff games as a member of the Seahawks in 2014. He posted 20 tackles (15 solo), two sacks and one fumble recovery last season. Signed March 12. NFL experience: 66 games played. 11 starts.

Jared Smith, offensive guard: He was on Seattle's practice squad in 2013 before suffering an injury. The Seahawks picked him in the seventh-round (241st overall) of the 2013 NFL draft. He played at New Hampshire. Smith was waived prior to the start of training camp in 2014. He is also the midst of being converted from a defensive lineman. At New Hampshire he had 129 tackles (59 solo) 12.5 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He was named an All-American by College Sports Journal and The Sports Network. Signed March 18. NFL experience: No games played. No starts.

Jacob Tamme, tight end: He was signed to a two-year $4 million contract in free agency and is trying to revive his career after two down seasons with the Denver Broncos. Tamme, 30, is considered a pass-catching tight end, but only caught 14 and 20 passes over the past two seasons. In 2012, Tamme caught 52 passes for 555 yards. Tamme was a fourth-round pick (127th overall) of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2008 draft. He had his best season in 2010 when he caught 67 of 93 targets (72 percent) for 631 yards and four touchdowns with the Colts. He has played in 107 games and made 23 starters. Over his career he's caught 178 of 277 targets (64.2 percent) for 1,703 yards and 10 touchdowns. Signed March 19. NFL experience: 107 games played. 23 starts.

Nick Williams, wide receiver: Originally signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2013 NFL draft. He played in five games as a receiver and returner during his rookie campaign in 2013. Williams played in 42 games at Connecticut where he caught 43 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns. He set a school record for career kickoff return yards (2,045) and ranks second in yards per return (25.9). Additionally, Williams is the only player in UConn history with at least two kickoff returns and two punt returns for touchdowns in a career. Signed Feb. 24. NFL experience: 5 games played. No starts.

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