Falcons free safety Dwight Lowery, despite two missed tackles, had a strong game against the Saints.

Missed-tackles were rampant last season, so the coaching staff was pretty hard on Lowery over those two plays. But, he did have 10 tackles.

“He fronts people up well,” defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said. “He wraps up.”

Lowery was signed as a free agent this offseason to replace Thomas DeCoud, who was released in part for his missed tackles and for taking poor angles to the football.

Lowery turned some heads with one of his open field tackles.

“He wrapped the guy up and he almost got away from him,” Nolan said. “Lowery pulled the jersey and pulled him all the way back with strong hands. That’s tough. There is such a thing as having strong hands.”

Overall, Nolan thought the tackling was improved.

“I thought it was noticeable,” Nolan said. “There wasn’t a lot of open field stuff that we missed. …In the big picture, I thought we did a much better job. I was pleased from that standpoint the improvement was made without question.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, here speaking to the media in January, has two 2025 first-round draft picks on his defense in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff (left) and Raphael Warnock — along with the other 45 members in the Democratic caucus — opposed the reconciliation bill that passed the Senate on Tuesday. The wide-ranging package extends tax cuts and slashes federal spending on safety net programs. (Ben Hendren for the AJC 2024)

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC