Falcons coach Dan Quinn had not spoken about the addition of free agent cornerback Justin Bethel until Tuesday at the NFL owners meeting.
The Falcons added the three-time special teams Pro Bowler in free agency.
Bethel, who was a sixth-round pick by the Cardinals in 2012 out of Presbyterian, made it to the Pro Bowl from 2013-15.
Bethel, 27, is listed at 6-foot and 200 pounds. He’s played in 96 games with 14 starts. He has four career interceptions and 116 tackles.
Bethel would be expected to impact the special teams’ coverage units.
Overall, the Falcons' special teams were sub-standard last season. They finished in the bottom half of the NFL (22nd) in Rick Gosselin's industry leading rankings.
The coverage unit ranked 32nd (last) in kickoff coverage at 26.2 yards per return.
Here’s what Quinn had to say about Bethel:
“With Bethel, the first thing that jumps out is the speed,” Quinn said. “That’s where it starts. He’s had a terrific background on special teams. For us, that’s a real area of emphasis going into the offseason. How do we improve our starting field position in terms of how we cover?
“That goes into kickoff coverage. That goes into punt coverage. His experience outside at gunner. That’s where you better make sure you have two in the vice. If he gets singled, he’s going to get a lot of tackles.
“We like (punter Matt Bosher) and all of the stuff that he does. We are fortunate that he’s able to directional punt. When you can do that, it allows the cover guys to … we’re going to put it outside the numbers and they have the speed to go corral the guy and get him down.
“That’s a real factor for us on teams. Then we’ll let him go and battle (at cornerback). He’s more of an outside guy at corner for us with that speed and length. In our system, whether if it’s three-deep or man-to-man, the corner better stay on top and you have to have the speed to go on some of the long routes because they are going to try you. He fits the bill on both of those.”
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