Falcons’ Dee Alford steps in for A.J. Terrell admirably
FLOWERY BRANCH — Understandably overlooked in the aftermath of the Falcons’ debacle in Carolina was the play of cornerback Dee Alford.
He was pressed into starting duty with A.J. Terrell out with a hamstring injury.
Alford, who lost his job as the starting nickel back, likely will return to the starting lineup when the Falcons (1-2) face the Commanders (2-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I thought he did an excellent job, to tell you the truth. I really did,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He battled his butt off. I thought he played at a really high level.”
Alford had two pass breakups and a questionable pass-interference call. He held up in man coverage against Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who is listed as 6-foot-5.
“Dee, a guy he gives up 7 inches or whatever it (was) to No. 4 (McMillan), if not more,” Ulbrich said. “The times he was targeted, he battled and he got the ball out. I was extremely happy for how Dee played.”
After a bumpy 2024, the Falcons elected not to tender an offer to Alford, who was a restricted free agent. After testing the market, he was re-signed to one-year deal worth $1.5 million April 7.
Alford, who started 16 games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons at nickel back, played at Spalding High School in Griffin and Tusculum. He started his pro career in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In training camp. he competed with Clark Phillips III and rookie Billy Bowman Jr. for the nickel back spot. Bowman, a fourth-round pick from Oklahoma, won the spot.
“You know, obviously, the year didn’t go as well for me, last year,” Alford said. “I put that behind me. This whole offseason, I focused on getting better. I feel like coach Rah (Raheem Morris) gave me the opportunity to show that I’ve been getting better. So, that’s all that matters.”
After Terrell went down late in the second quarter against the Vikings, Alford went in. Morris also was impressed with his performance against the Panthers.
“Man, let me tell you something, Dee Alford was absolutely amazing last week,” Morris said. “He went out, he competed. He played at a very high level.”
Alford will need to have another strong performance at the Commanders.
“I hope he can bring it again,” Morris said. “We look forward to seeing him do it out there in practice.”
Alford is looking forward to playing the Commanders, and he’s preparing for Jayden Daniels at quarterback. Alford played in 16 games with the Falcons in 2022 when Marcus Mariota (Daniels’ backup this season) was with the team for 13 games.
“We have to be ready to play two downs in one,” Alford said. “What I mean by that is you’re covering the receivers, but (Daniels) likes to scramble a lot and extend plays. As a secondary, we’ve got to get ready. We have our scramble drills, and we must keep our eyes on our receivers and be ready to make plays down the field.”
Alford wasn’t dejected after not winning the job as starting nickel back. He wanted to be ready when the team needed him.
“Pretty much, very eager,” Alford said. “I feel like that’s everyone in the NFL, just getting that opportunity. You always want to prove yourself and just prove that you belong here in the NFL. I think that’s pretty much anyone.”
Alford likes how the defense is playing as a unit under Ulbrich, who is in his first season as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.
“You really can see when you put the film on, guys are flying around,” Alford said. “The (defensive) line, pass rush, the secondary playing as one. A high level of communication. I feel like that’s a big difference from last year’s defense.”
Alford, despite losing his role to Bowman, has enjoyed the influx of four rookies on the defense.
“The rookies make a great difference,” Alford said. “Shout out to the young boys. Bill and X (Xavier Watts). The (defensive) line. We got JPJ (James Pearce Jr.), Jay Walk (Jalon Walker). ... They play a huge part in our success. Man, they came in and fit right into the scheme. They’ve been showing that they belong here.”
With the offense sputtering, the defense eventually wore down with the short fields and losing two turnovers to the Panthers. There is room for improvement.
“Oh man, we can get better by creating more turnovers,” Alford said. “Obviously, I can take you back weeks ago, when we had so many opportunities. We dropped a lot of interceptions. So, yeah, we can get better with just finding ways to create turnovers, whether it’s interceptions, punching the ball out in the run game and just execute better all around.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
