Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen, shortly after reporting for training camp, signed his exclusive-rights free-agent tender Wednesday.
Allen, who converted from cornerback to free safety, has started at the spot over the past two seasons.
The Falcons also waived offensive lineman Cam Keizur.
Allen successfully made the transition from cornerback to free safety.
He played 1,101 defensive snaps (99.1 percent), most on the team last season, in his second season at free safety. Drafted as a cornerback in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of Purdue, Allen was cut and then made his way back up to roster through the practice squad.
Critical to his transformation was the arrival of coach Dan Quinn, who converted him to free safety. The position had been a black hole on the defense since Thomas DeCoud slipped from Pro Bowl status after the 2012 season.
The free safety in the Falcons’ defense is required to cover a lot of ground and, if things go wrong as they sometimes do, he’s the last line of defense.
Allen started all 19 games and made 104 tackles, had five pass breakups and four interceptions. He cut down his missed tackles total from 19 to 11. He has followed that up with a strong offseason.
“Ricardo is playing out of his mind,” defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel said over the offseason.
The Falcons must find some depth behind Allen.
Sharrod Neasman, who’s been in the team’s developmental program, is a possibility. The team also had Brian Poole, and rookie Damontae Kazee spend some time at safety over the offseason.
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