Natrone Brooks has barely been part of the conversation around the Falcons this summer, but one projection just gave him a real shot at surviving cut day.
Brooks made the switch from cornerback to safety during OTAs, hoping the move would improve his odds of making the roster. Instead, the transition hasn’t gone especially well.
With roster cuts less than a week away, his path still looks crowded. He has mostly worked with the reserves, while DeMarcco Hellams has handled first-team reps during Jessie Bates III’s absence because of injury.
Still, ESPN’s Marc Raimondi sees a different outcome. In his latest 53-man roster projection, Raimondi included five safeties on Atlanta’s Week 1 roster, and Brooks was one of them.
"Brooks and Brown can both also play cornerback, adding some versatility to the secondary,". Raimondi wrote.
That kind of vote of confidence stands out because Brooks has long been viewed as a long shot. Raimondi’s thinking appears to be that keeping Brooks matters more than carrying a sixth wide receiver.
But there’s a catch: safety doesn’t really look like a problem area for Atlanta. Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts are the top duo, with Hellams and Sydney Brown seemingly set for the other two spots.
The bigger question is what would justify keeping five safeties at all. The Falcons could use that extra roster space elsewhere, whether that means carrying all four quarterbacks, a fourth tight end, or another linebacker. Those spots, at least on paper, look more in need of depth.
Raimondi’s projection also raises another issue: why keep both Brooks and Brown? Brooks can line up at cornerback, safety, and even work as a gunner on special teams, but Brown has been one of the summer’s standouts and arrived via trade. He looks locked in.
Brooks, 26, does offer versatility, but there are other corners ahead of him in the pecking order. C.J. Henderson, Clark Phillips III, and Cobee Bryant are all better options at corner, while Brown and Hellams bring more production at safety.
Even with that against him, Brooks may have received his strongest support yet at the exact moment he needed it most. For a player who has spent most of the summer on the fringe, that at least keeps the door open.
In Other News...
Falcons May Not Be Done After Initial 53-Man Roster Decisions
The Falcons are into the next phase of roster building now that the initial 53-man group is set, but the work around the edges does not appear finished. With the NFL's deadline in the books, Atlanta is still scanning the league for possible help, and the list of available options includes a few recent cuts who could fit spots on the active roster or the practice squad.
Evan Neal, Jaydon Blue, Tyrel Dodson and Jack Pyburn are among the players being discussed as possible targets, with each bringing a different type of value depending on what Atlanta wants to address. None of it is guaranteed, of course, but the fact that the Falcons are already being linked to fresh additions suggests the final roster picture could still change before long. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons 53-Man Roster Leaves Several Spots Feeling Far From Settled
The Falcons have their initial 53-man roster in place after the NFL cutdown deadline, but it does not read like a finished product. Atlanta kept four quarterbacks, two running backs, five wide receivers, three tight ends, nine offensive linemen, nine defensive linemen and five linebackers, a mix that gives the team plenty of flexibility while also leaving a few corners of the roster feeling thin. The trade for Gervon Dexter was one of the more notable moves in getting to this point, and it came alongside the release of several fan favorites.
Even with the deadline passed, the roster looks more like a first draft than a final answer. There are still spots that invite questions, especially when a team carries that kind of volume at some positions and a little less certainty at others. Atlanta has made its opening statement on what it wants this group to be, but the way the final few jobs settled suggests the Falcons may not be done sorting out the edges of the roster just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Made A Telling Move Up Front Before Cuts
The Falcons kept reshaping their front line ahead of the NFLs 53-man roster deadline, making a move that says plenty about where they still see a need. Atlanta sent cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick to the Bears for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, a deal that brings in a bigger body at a position the team has been trying to stabilize.
Dexter arrives in the final year of his contract and is expected to step in as the Falcons starting nose tackle, giving them another option in the middle as cutdown day approaches. For a roster still being sorted out, the trade is less about long-term patience and more about shoring up defensive tackle depth right now, which is usually the kind of move teams make when they think the problem is immediate. [Read more 🡒]