The Falcons cut Devin Hester, one of the NFL's all-time return men, and second-year running back Tevin Coleman will get a shot to be the team's primary returner on kickoffs.
Coleman didn’t return kicks or punts during his rookie season in 2015. Coach Dan Quinn said the Falcons didn’t necessarily see Coleman as a return man when they selected him in the third round of the draft.
But Quinn said the Falcons were encouraged by Coleman’s work on returns during 2015 training camp and this off-season, as well as the “long speed” he showed at running back.
“It was the ability to break the long runs and the explosive plays and his ability to stick his foot in the ground and go,” Quinn said Tuesday. “And the guys who go, ‘I want to make a bigger difference, I want to make an impact on the team.’ He’s the one that wanted to start if off and say, ‘There is more I can do. When a player has something to prove with a chip on his shoulder… that’s certainly the way he’s approached this off season and I’ve admired that.”
During his first two seasons at Indiana University, Coleman returned a total of 30 kicks for an average of 23.0 yards with one touchdown. He did not return kicks during his final season, when he earned All-America honors at running back.
Quinn said the candidates to return punts are veterans Eric Weems and Nick Williams, second-year pro Justin Hardy and rookie Devin Fuller.
Weems was the primary returner when Hester missed 11 games with an injury in 2015. He averaged 11.6 yards on 19 punt returns with a long of 41 and 26.9 yards on 15 kick returns with a long of 50.
Williams returned nine kickoffs while with the Redskins in 2013 and averaged 20.9 yards with a long of 29. He also had one punt return, a fair catch that he fumbled.
Hardy played nine games as a rookie in 2015 and didn’t return any punts or kickoffs. Fuller, a seventh-round draft pick, handled kickoffs and punts during his four seasons at UCLA.
As a team, the Falcons ranked 11th in punt return average and fourth in kickoff return average last season.
“We’ve got some guys that we are pretty pumped up about seeing what they can do,” Quinn said. “Coleman has that long speed. The jobs are a little different. There are way more punt return opportunities now but kick returner you’ve got to have that long speed.”
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