The Falcons will find out soon if Dwight Lowery is an upgrade over Thomas DeCoud at free safety.
Lowery, who signed a one-year, $760,000 free-agent contract, will be on the hot seat in the season opener against the Saints.
DeCoud, just a season after reaching the Pro Bowl, was released over the offseason and signed with Carolina.
Lowery, a former fourth-round pick by the New York Jets in 2008, played the past two seasons with Jacksonville and is considered a sure tackler.
“He’s done a good job,” defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said. “There are some things that we do that he hasn’t done before. But there are also some things, having been at the Jets, that are familiar to him because (Jets coach) Rex (Ryan) and I worked together for some years down in Baltimore.”
Lowery and strong safety William Moore are part of the plan to contain Saints tight end Jimmy Graham.
“Jimmy does a lot of routes where he’s not only on his side of the field, but he’ll come across the field and catch a lot of balls,” Nolan said. “Both safeties will be involved from that standpoint. That’s the way they run their offense.”
DeCoud was released in part because of missed tackles and for taking poor angles to the ball. Lowery has started 41 games in the NFL, but has played sparingly (12 games) over the past two seasons because of injuries.
He missed some time during training camp with a concussion.
“He’s a very good athlete, and he covers a lot of ground,” Nolan said. “He’s got good size. He’s been a sure tackler. Those are always good qualities to have. He’s one of the players that I’m kind of eager to see how he does, I really am.
“From everything that we’ve seen, he should play well for us. We’ll see how that goes on Sunday.”
About the Author
