With the news that veteran G Garrett Reynolds is being released, Adam Caplan of ESPN mentions that the Falcons have more decisions looming, specifically, what to do with S Thomas DeCoud.
- Caplan notes that $2.25 million of DeCoud’s $4.2 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed on March 15.
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff recently mentioned that the safety position happens to be one of the areas they will look for improvements during offseason.
“Do we need a safety? I think it’s always important to have good, experienced safeties and safeties that will make plays on the ball and be adept and consistent tacklers,’’ commented Dimitroff on an interview for ESPN. “We will always look to continue to improve depth, like we’ve always said. Improving our group of safeties, that’s always going to be an important thing for us.’’
DeCoud, 28, signed a five-year contract worth $17.5 million that included $4 million guaranteed with the Falcons back in 2012. He was also selected a Pro Bowl that year, but really struggled a lot this season in both tackling and coverage.
The Falcons may have tipped their hand regarding their ultimate decision on DeCoud, as earlier this week Jason La Confora named Atlanta as a possible option for free agent S Louis Delmas.
Delmas, 26, was in the final year of his two-year, $7.715 million contract he signed just last year before the Lions elected to part ways and take the cap relief. He totaled 64 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions over the course of nine games with the Lions in 2013.
Pro Football Focus has DeCoud rated as one of the worst qualifying safeties in the league — No. 83 out of 86 players — with Delmas listed as an above-average safety last year.
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DeCoud is bad but realistically, idk if the Falcons will cut him. To me, it’s like the Dunta Robinson situation. At times, he’s shown he could get the job done but then everyone knew he really sucked in coverage and he was kinda inconsistent with his tackling but it took Atlanta forever to cut him. That’s how I think about the DeCoud situation..