Who's on the roster?
#83 Alge Crumpler (6'2" 262, 2nd yr., North Carolina)
#89 Reggie Kelly (6'3" 255, 4th yr., Mississippi State)
#85 Brian Kozlowski (6'3" 250, 9th yr., Connecticut)
#49 Dallas Neil (6'1" 255, 2nd yr., Montana)
#48 Derek Rackley (6'4" 250, 3rd yr., Minnesota)
Projected starter: Crumpler
Top backup: Kelly
Newcomers: none
The Falcons sport one of the deeper tight ends in the league. The only thing that will cause it to get more league-wide recognition is the fact that a star has not emerged from the unit. That could definitely change with Alge Crumpler ready to emerge.
Crumpler had a solid rookie season last year as a reserve catching 25 passes and scoring three times. His production slipped over the second half of the season as his playing time decreased. But in a starting role he should have an even bigger breakout year. Last summer, he was a favorite target of Vick when they worked with the second team units. Now that Vick is assuming the starting position, it's likely Crumpler will be promoted also. Crumpler possesses soft hands for a player that was underused in North Carolina's run-based offense in college. Due to his experience as a Tar Heel, Crumpler is a gifted blocker, arguably one of the better ones in the league. He does not have great speed, but can make plays downfield. He has all the tools to be a Pro Bowl tight end. Like Terance Mathis for Chris Chandler, Crumpler may become Vick's "crutch," as in the player that he looks for when the rest of the play breaks down. Crumpler's hands are so good, that it would be a feat for someone to point out a time where he has dropped a pass in the entire time he's been a Falcon. Because he is equally a proficient blocker and pass-catcher, it's likely that Crumpler will play nearly every down.
Crumpler won't be given the job right away. He'll have to take it away from Reggie Kelly, the starter for the past two seasons. Due to Crumpler's emergence last year, Kelly did not have a productive year as a receiver down from 31 in 2000 to 16 catches. But Kelly's is a skilled blocker, not receiver. Although Kelly has decent hands considering he only caught a handful of passes in college, his hands are not good enough to be reliable. Kelly is a top-notch blocker, and serves in that role very well. He started last year because Reeves likes to run. Kelly will probably lose the starting job this year, but he will still get plenty of playing time. In two-tight end sets, Kelly will share the field with Crumpler. Kelly will get some opportunities to catch passes, but that won't be a major part of his role anymore.
The team would prefer to create more sets teaming Crumpler and Brian Kozlowski for pass-catching situations. Kozlowski is one of team's most versatile player. Kozlowski serves well in any role that the team asks. He has good hands coupled with athleticism and pretty good blocking. He serves on special teams coverage and is an upback on kickoffs. He can line up at fullback or wide out at tight end. With the emergence of Crumpler, Kozlowski will get less opportunities, but he is too good a player to just sit idle on the sideline.
Although those three will play, the Falcons are almost certainly going to keep a fourth tight end on the roster. Reeves uses double-tight end sets a lot, and feels that having the extra backup is needed for depth. That fourth tight end will probably be Derek Rackley. Rackley serves as the team's long snapper, so unless he loses the job there, he won't be cut. Since he has not botched a snap in two years, that will be a major feat. Rackley also has played limitedly in blocking situations as the second tight end. If one of the other tight ends went down, he would step in. He caught a touchdown pass last year, but his hands are not developed enough yet to be relied upon.
The presence of the other four tight ends leaves Dallas Neil out of the loop. Neil impressed the coaching staff with his work ethic as an undrafted rookie in 2000. He played in a few games that year on special teams. Last year, he wound up on the practice squad. He may not get that opportunity this year. Neil was both a punter and tight end at Montana. He initially punted for the team in 2000, but was moved permanently to tight end sometime during the regular season. He has good hands, but he's not strong enough as a blocker to really play that much. He plays in a hybrid H-back and fullback role. He needs an outstanding summer to make the roster. If he is cut, but is unsigned this winter, he may be re-signed to be brought back again for another training camp in 2003.
The position probably won't see much shake-up from the beginning of training camp to the start of the regular season.
Salary Cap Sense
Crumpler is the breadwinner of the group with a cap figure of $759,200 while Kelly is close behind with $738,750. Kozlowski will count $450,000 against the cap while Rackley ($375,000) and Neil ($300,000) round out the rest of the unit. Neil is likely to get cut which avoids paying $300,000 to him. There probably won't be an cap-related moves here.
Predictions