Okay, now we’re into the competitive races.
After finalizing our specialists with Matt Bryant, Matt Bosher, and Allen Rossum (Eric Weems will help handle kicks, too!), we’re moving on to defense. That begins with safety, where we have five contenders for two spots as our starters, and a pretty great crew besides.
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You’ll see one of the first draft picks Thomas Dimitroff made in Atlanta, a converted corner who went on to much success, two phenomenal, physical safeties who had their careers derailed by injuries, and a man currently locking down a starting spot in Atlanta. Check out our list and then vote for your top choice!
Ricardo Allen
The raw stats: 245 tackles (4th), 6 tackles for a loss (T-8th), 11 interceptions (7th), 26 pass deflections (4th), 1 sack (way down there)
Allen’s probably a bit lower than this in a couple of statistics—remember that tackles for a loss and pass deflections weren’t counted when Tom Pridemore and Scott Case were terrorizing offenses, for example—but the statistics aren’t the whole story with him anyways. Allen was a converted late round cornerback who was cut by the team, signed back to the practice squad, and converted to safety under Dan Quinn. He quickly blossomed into a multi-year starter and an eraser on the back end of the defense, with sterling coverage skills deep in his first four years as a starter in particular that helped mask a lot of problems brewing closer to the line of scrimmage.
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Allen was an acknowledged glue guy and leader in the locker room who rarely missed a tackle and surrendered just a dozen touchdowns in six years as a starter. He was underrated during his time in Atlanta and will likely not win this particular competition, but he deserves to be in this conversation.
Jessie Bates
The raw stats: 202 tackles (7th), 6 tackles for a loss (T-8th), 8 forced fumbles (T-3rd), 13 interceptions (6th), 27 pass deflections (3rd), 1 sack (way down there)
Bates has only been in Atlanta for three years, but c’mon, he’s amazing. The essence of a playmaker at safety, Bates put up nearly as many interceptions as DeCoud and Neal in fewer years as a starter, is behind only Willy Mo and Tom Pridemore in terms of forced fumbles, and is a frequently disruptive defender in both coverage and against the run.
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By the time he leaves Atlanta, be that in a year, two years, three years, or longer, Bates will go down as one of the very best safeties to don the Falcons black and red. He’s already got a credible case as the best one the Falcons have trotted out there in the past 25 years.
Thomas DeCoud
The raw stats: 292 tackles (2nd), 10 tackles for a loss (2nd), 4 forced fumbles (T-6th), 14 interceptions (5th), 28 pass deflections (2nd), 3 sacks (6th)
He was really good at the start of his career and fell off a cliff very abruptly at the end of it. A Pro Bowler in 2012 who brought quality run defense and tackling to the table in his prime, DeCoud was never a high-end coverage option but held his own there during his best years, most notably in 2010 and 2012. He was also a bit of a turnover machine for a couple of seasons there, and his 6 interception 2012 was a major part of the team’s surprisingly great season on that side of the ball.
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DeCoud is not remembered as fondly as he probably should be because the missed tackles started to pile up at times in 2012 and 2013 and he struggled mightily in 2013 before the Falcons cut him loose, but he was a quality safety for several seasons.
Keanu Neal
The raw stats: 243 tackles (5th), 15 tackles for a loss (1st), 8 forced fumbles (T-3rd), 2 interceptions (T-26th), 16 pass deflections (9th), 1 sacks (way down there)
Neal also made himself a fan favorite and was spectacular his first two seasons and pretty good in 2020, but spent just five seasons in Atlanta. In 2018 and 2019, he played a combined four games owing to injury, and after that solid 2020 his career was a series of short stints with the Cowboys, Steelers, and Buccaneers. At one point he looked like a truly special safety, but injury conspired against him.
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Still, those peak seasons and moments mean he belongs on this list, especially that phenomenal rookie season that helped make the 2016 Super Bowl run possible.
William Moore
The raw stats: 276 tackles (3rd), 14 tackles for a loss (2nd), 8 forced fumbles (1st), 16 interceptions (3rd), 37 pass deflections (1st), 3.5 sacks (5th)
Willy Mo was always ready, and the man I dubbed C4 Moore for the way he blew up defenses hapless receivers was a fan favorite for a reason. His seven seasons in Atlanta were marred by injuries—he played in 16 games just twice—but during his four year prime from 2010 to 2013, nobody was delivering the playmaking prowess and bone-jarring hits like Moore. He was more stingy in coverage than you remember, just as good near the line of scrimmage as you’ll recall, and either tops the list of Falcons safeties or is near the top in just about every statistical category you can think, behind only franchise greats Scott Case and Tom Pridemore in interceptions and tackles.
Moore’s relatively short peak and the passage of time may take some luster off his case, but he’s a strong pick for best Falcons safety of the past 25 years.
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