Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel had a strong first season. The unit showed improvement.
However, when the team reports for training camp on July 26, Manuel plans to keep pushing with the hopes of elevating his unit to elite status in the NFL.
“We are going to be relentless,” Manuel said. “We are going to be tough. We are going to be smart. When we say being intelligent, that’s doing my job 1,000 percent of the time. …What are we going to do to help win a championship?”
The Falcons finished in the top 10 in several key categories last season. The Falcons defensive improved from 27th to eighth in scoring defense, 25th to ninth in total yards, 17th to ninth in rushing yards.
“The game is evolving,” Manuel said. “There are times when you play teams that still have the fullback and they get the running back the ball. You have to be prepared both ways. It’s a balance between the two.”
Here’s a position-by-position look at the defense and some of the key issues it will face at the start of training camp:
Defensive line: Ends - Takk McKinley, Brooks Reed, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Mackendy Cheridor, Vic Beasley, Derrick Shelby, J'Terius Jones. Tackles - Terrell McClain, Deadrin Senat, Garrison Smith, Grady Jarrett, Jack Crawford, Justin Zimmer and Jon Cunningham.
While Beasley is slated to return to defensive end full time, the Falcons must replace last season’s leading sacker in Adrian Clayborn (9.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Dontari Poe.
Also, reserve tackles Courtney Upshaw and Ahtyba Rubin were not re-signed.
The Falcons are counting on McKinley to step into Clayborn’s spot at right defensive end.
Poe, who signed with Carolina in free agency, will be replaced by rookie Deadrin Senat and veteran Terrell McClain.
Grady Jarrett returns to man the other defensive tackle spot.
The key will be how fast the Falcons can get Senat ready to play in the NFL trenches after a solid career at South Florida.
Senat is 6-foot and 314 pounds. He lifted 225 pounds 35 times and the scouting combine and is mighty strong.
“There are guys that are strong in the weight room that don’t apply it on the field and vice versa, but he’s a guy that when you watch the film he has good power,” defensive line coach Bryant Young said. “Now, it’s just a matter of getting him to understand how to use that power on the next level.”
Jarrett, 25, who is set to enter his fourth year, has improved steadily after being a fifth-round selection in 2015.
“I’m hoping for a big year, so I’ve just been grinding really hard,” Jarrett said.
Linebackers: De'Vondre Campbell, Deion Jones, Duke Riley, Foyesade Oluokun, Emmanuel Ellerbe, Emmanuel Smith, Kemal Ishmael, Anthony Winbush and Richard Jarvis.
The Falcons are counting on Riley to step up at the weakside linebacker position.
Jones, coming of his first of what should be many trips to the Pro Bowl, returns at middle linebacker and the hard-changing Campbell is set at strongside linebacker.
The Falcons elected not to re-sign Sean Weatherspoon and LaRoy Reynolds from last season. Kemal Ishmael is the only other experienced linebacker on the roster.
Riley, who was taken in the third round of the 2017 draft, opened the season as the starting weakside linebacker. He missed too many tackles and ended the season as a reserve and special teams player.
“He’s a guy that, the honest truth, he knows this and I know this, everyone in his circle knows this, he didn’t fulfill his expectations as far as his play was concerned,” linebacker coach Jeff Ulbrich said.
Riley can still become the player the Falcons envisioned when they selected him out of LSU with the 75th overall pick.
“We made some goals and he’s absolutely gone for it,” Ulbrich said. “Who’s to say if he becomes a special player, that’s up to him.”
Cornerbacks: Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Brian Poole, Isaiah Oliver, Justin Bethel, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Deante Burton, Leon McFadden, Chris Lammons, Tyson Graham, and Joseph Putu.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn believes that starting cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford have something to prove in 2018.
Both have been starting cornerbacks since being drafted back in 2013, but only have one Pro Bowl season between them. Trufant was selected after the 2015 season.
The Falcons want both of them to make more plays on the ball. Alford led the team with 20 pass breakups, but had just one interception. Trufant had 12 pass breakups and just two interceptions.
The Falcons were down from 22 takeaways to 16 in 2017. Overall, the turnover margin was minus-2, which ranked 19th in the league after being a plus-11 and ranking fourth in 2016.
Brian Poole will face challengers at nickel back including promising young safety Damontae Kazee.
Oliver will be expected to contribute on special teams.
Safeties: Keanu Neal, Ricardo Allen, Ron Parker, Damontae Kazee, Marcelis Branch, Jason Hall and Secdrick Cooper.
With strong safety Neal and free safety Allen, the back end of the Falcons’ defense is strong.
In a late offseason move, the Falcons added Parker, a versatile veteran.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn like’s Neal’s ability to force fumbles and the physical prowess he provides the defense. However, he’d like to see Neal make better decisions on when to lower the boom on players and when to slow because he just needs a good quality tackle.
Neal believes that he’s ready of the new helmet-to-helmet contact rule and how it will be interpreted.
“We talk about Falcon-rolling, tackling behind the ball carrier, putting our head behind them instead of in front of him,” Neal said. “There are things that we are working out that are really going to counter-act that rule.”
Allen, who was hoping for a long-term deal, signed his restricted free agent tender of $2.9 million.
“We have to keep finding things that we know we want to get better at as a team and as a group,” Allen said.
The Falcons are excited about Kazee, a fifth-round pick from San Diego State in the 2017 draft, who shined on special teams last season.
“He has that fearlessness about him and I really respect that,” Quinn said.
Special teams: Kickers - Matt Bryant and David Marvin. Punter/holder - Matt Bosher. Returners -- Justin Hardy, Marvin Hall, Ito Smith, Reggie Davis. Long snapper – Josh Harris.
With the kicking and punting operations in good shape with Bryant and Bosher, the Falcons set out to improve their special teams units over the offseason.
The Falcons hope they landed a dynamic coverage duo in Bethel, a three-time Pro Bowler, and rookie Russell Gage.
“One thing is that you are bringing speed that is coming off the edge,” Special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong said. “(Bethel) is a veteran who’s has leadership and has film that demonstrates that he can go and make plays. That’s big.”
Gage, who played at LSU, was drafted in the sixth round.
“Then you take a guy like Russell Gage and you put that speed on the other side,” Armstrong said. “Now, you’ve got two gunners that people have to think about putting a (two-man) vice on both sides. It’s huge to have that speed outside.”
The Falcons must also find a new kickoff and punt returner. Hardy appears to be the favorite. Last season’s returner, Andre Roberts, was not re-signed. He landed with the New York Jets.
Bryant, 43, signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal that runs through the 2020 season.
In 2017, Bryant was a perfect 38 of 38 on extra points and 39 of 44 on field goals, including going 10 of 11 on field goal attempts over 50 yards.
Bosher averaged 44.9 yards on 53 punts with a net average of 40.8 yards. He placed 19 punts down inside the 20-yard line.
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