Who's on the roster?
#75 Floyd Black (6'3" 303, rookie, Harding)
#92 Ron Flemons (6'5" 265, 3rd yr., Texas A&M)
#98 Travis Hall (6'5" 295, 9th yr., Brigham Young)
#93 Raymond House (6'2" 277, rookie, Arkansas)
#95 Ed Jasper (6'2" 293, 7th yr., Texas A&M)
#61 Ellis Johnson (6'2" 288, 9th yr., Florida)
#97 Patrick Kerney (6'5" 273, 5th yr., Virginia)
#91 Brady Smith (6'5" 274, 8th yr., Colorado State)
#99 Demetrin Veal (6'2" 288, rookie, Tennessee)
#79 Ryan Watson (6'2" 291, 1st yr., Appalachian State)
Projected starters: Jasper (nose tackle), Kerney (left end), Smith (right end)
Top backups: Hall (end/tackle), Veal (end/tackle)
Newcomers: Black (undrafted rookie), House (undrafted rookie), Veal (7th round pick)
The defensive line was the unit that had to undergo the biggest changes and obstacles in 2002 with the switch to the 3-4, but the team hopes that with a year of experience under its belt, it will be improved.
Few doubt the fact that Patrick Kerney is the team's best defensive linemen, and many would argue that he might be the team's best defensive player. Kerney had a solid 2002 season, leading the team for the second straight year with 10.5 sacks.
But Kerney too had many hurdles to overcome. First and foremost was that he had to get accustomed to playing the defensive line in the 3-4 scheme. For the early part of training camp, Kerney was working out outside linebacker as the team hoped to use his superior upfield skills to improve the pass rush. But due to lacking depth at defensive line and the fact he was not looking natural in pass coverage, Kerney moved back to his natural defensive end position. After spending much of the off-season losing weight in order to add quickness, he had to quickly put on muscle so he could play upfront in the 3-4 scheme, where size usually matters.
The 3-4 defensive linemen's job is usually to stop the run first. Kerney gets by in that role, but he will never be a great run stopper. His best attributes are his quickness and motor. He has good strength for his size, but he cannot put on any more muscle, as in the past when he tried to play above 275, he lost quickness. But although Kerney will never be a great run stopper, he fits the role that Bruce Smith played under Wade Phillips in Buffalo, as the line's primary pass rusher. Kerney is the guy the Falcons look to most when they need to put pressure on the quarterback. Kerney won't ever be considered a great pass rusher that will be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Strahan or Smith himself, but due to his motor, he can get to the quarterback.
But another obstacle Kerney had to go through last season was his lack of size. Kerney wore down late in the year. That became obvious, as he recorded most of his sacks in the first half of the season. Through his first 9 games, Kerney had 7.5 sacks. Over the last 7, he only gained 3 sacks. Although adding muscle will help, what can go a long way to help keeping Kerney fresh for the rest of the season would be a steady rotation. Last season, Kerney practically played every down for the length of the season.
Although Kerney may be considered to be the team's best defensive lineman, some may argue that Ellis Johnson had the unit's best season. Johnson played as a reserve for the entire season, but still managed to record 7 sacks. Johnson played most when the team went to four-down linemen mostly on passing situations. Also, what made Johnson's season great was the fact that all his sacks came in the month of November or later, and that he was only signed by the Falcons a week before the start of the season. That was the reason for his slow start. Johnson a natural pass rusher at the defensive tackle in the 4-3, probably fits best at defensive end, but the Falcons like using his quickness at the nose spot.
But Johnson's future with the Falcons is sketchy. As of when this article was written, whether or not he was going to retirement was undetermined. Johnson considered retirement following the season, due to family obligations, but was convinced to return for at least another year. As training camp nears, Johnson has shown more that he is going the retirement route. If he does retire, there is a gaping hole at the nose tackle position.
That is because Ed Jasper, last season's starter at that spot, underwent off-season back surgery, which is going to keep him out of the early parts of training camp. One positive is that Ed Jasper is one of the few Falcons that need a lot of work in training camp. Whether it's at nose tackle in the 3-4, or tackle in the 4-3, Jasper typically has outstanding camps. Jasper is one of the Falcons larger tackles, and is the best fit for the nose position on the roster, but even he is not a perfect fit. Jasper has good strength and quickness, and he can play either tackle or end. The plan for this season was for him and Johnson to rotate at nose, and also for Jasper to get reps at end as well, may even possibly start. But now with Johnson's status up in the air, the Falcons are going to have to rely on Jasper filling the nose spot again once he recovers.
Travis Hall was another player counted on for depth this season, but is also recovering from injury. Hall didn't get healthy until late last season, but it showed as he improved his play. Hall has never been known for his durability, as he's only been able to start every game in 3 of his 6 seasons as a Falcons starter. Hall is the team's biggest defensive lineman, but has nice quickness for his size. They count on him for depth both at nose and end spots. But due to Hall's lofty cap figure and his status, if he does not show much in camp this year, they might opt to cut him and bring in another veteran to replace him.
With the upheaval on the line, the only spot that is secure besides the one belonging to Kerney is that which belongs to Brady Smith, the team's other starter at end in 2002. That will remain so with Jasper being out of commission. Smith is not much bigger than Kerney, and has decent quickness as well. A simple description would be a poor man's Patrick Kerney. Smith lacks Kerney's quickness and motor, but has those same attributes as well. On most teams, Smith would fill the role as a third end, but he starts here and gets the job done although without spectacular precision. Smith is slightly better against the run than Kerney. Smith tallied 6.5 sacks last year, but five of them came in two games. The team needs more consistent pressure from Smith over the course of the season.
Very little experience is on the roster behind these veterans. The most experienced player is end Ron Flemons, entering his third NFL season. But Flemons has only played in five games over his career, and it would be surprising if he's played in more than 50 snaps over that span. Flemons lacks size for the 3-4, and although he played in the scheme under defensive line coach Bill Johnson at Texas A&M, he is a poor fit. He has some quickness, but lacks bulk and strength vs. the run. Unless Flemons has worked hard to put on muscle this past off-season, he's a long shot to make this roster.
The other end on the roster is rookie free agent Raymond House. House as well played under Bill Johnson, while Johnson was at Arkansas. House probably is a better fit than Flemons, since he is bigger and has better strength. Unless he has a very good camp though, House himself is a roster long shot. But he has a good chance of landing a practice squad spot.
Demetrin Veal, the team's seventh round pick was originally slated to play mostly at nose tackle. But then the team opted to move him to end, where he was probably a better fit. But now with the upheaval amongst the top unit players, he may get work across the line in camp. If Veal can show that he can play both end and nose tackle, he will instantly be a gift to the Falcons roster. Veal is about the same size as Ellis Johnson, and was known for his quickness in college, so it makes sense that the Falcons like him at the nose spot. Veal's best chances at making the roster will either be to display an ability to play both end and tackle, or to excel at either one of the positions.
With Johnson, Jasper, and Hall's status up in the air, the team has turned to two inexperienced players to fill the void at nose tackle. Undrafted rookie Floyd Black, and Ryan Watson who spent much of last season on the team's practice squad are the players the coaching staff has turned to.
Black has great size which makes him a good fit in the middle as he should be able to get better leverage than some of his smaller competition. But because he is a rookie that is learning the 3-4 scheme, he will need time to make adjustments. Black was a monster at the collegiate level, but going from Division II to NFL starting level is an unbelievable leap.
Watson has good size, not great and about matches Jasper in that department. He's been rotating with Black during mini-camps, and has a step up on Black, since he spent 9 weeks on the team's practice squad during the regular season, and was inactive for 2 weeks of the postseason. He should have a firmer grasp on the system than Black. Once considered long shots to make the roster, if Watson or Black impress the coaching staff in mini-camps and initially in training camp, one could stick while the other has a practice squad spot waiting for him.
Due to the questions entering camp, the Falcons will likely give it a week to assess the situation, and then decide from there if they need to seek veteran help.
Salary Cap Sense
The team definitely has to make some decisions at this position. Hall (about $5.4 million) and Johnson ($1.5 million) have high cap figures and unless the team can rely on them to be healthy and willing for an entire season, then both may not make this team. If Johnson does retire, the team should see some sort of cap relief, although I'm unsure how much. Hall's figure is pretty high, especially for a reserve. The biggest obstacle in cutting Hall is how much dead money it would tack on. But even if it is as high as $4 million, it still would be cheaper to cut him and sign a veteran or two at the minimum-level salaries. The next highest salary is Ron Flemons at $375,000. Because House, Black, Veal, and Watson all cost $300,000 or less, Flemons is likely a goner.
Predictions