Who's on the Roster?
#83 Alge Crumpler (6-2 262, 4th, North Carolina)
#46 Spencer Nead (6-4 259, 2nd, Brigham Young)
#48 Derek Rackley (6-4 250, 5th, Minnesota)
#49 Jason Rader (6-4 276, rookie, Marshall)
#88 Justin Swift (6-3 265, 4th, Kansas State)
Starter: Crumpler
Top Backup: Swift
Newcomers: Nead (free agent/Rams), Rader (undrafted rookie), Swift (free agent).
The Falcons revamped their tight end unit in the off-season, hoping the influx of new blood will reap benefits in 2004.
Starter Alge Crumpler is the lone returnee from last year's unit. Crumpler, in his first season as a starter had career high numbers with 44 catches for 552 yards (12.5 avg). Crumpler since his rookie year had always been the go-to player at the position in the passing game, but 2004 marked the first year when he was the full-time starter.
Crumpler is gifted with a great set of hands, possibly the best on the roster. He is also a good blocker, and his strength and technique have improved since his rookie season. He does a good job at finding seems. His speed is not great, but it is good, which becomes apparent on his runs after the catch, another area where he excels. In essence, Crumpler is a complete tight end because he is among the best in the league both as a receiver and blocker.
Crumpler's flaws come in the mental parts of the game. He had frequent run-ins with the former coaching staff and early on his career was seemingly always in Dan Reeves' doghouse. Much of that can be attributed to not a standout work ethic. Crumpler would become frustrated with his being underutilized in the passing game and was accused of taking plays off. Also his playing shape is not ideal, but he is not out of shape by any means.
It will be interesting to see how Crumpler adjusts to the new coaching staff, since head coach Jim Mora is not as laid back as Reeves was. Crumpler will get help from new tight ends coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who coached Bubba Franks in Green Bay. Franks is a bigger tight end in the mold of Crumpler in that he is a better blocker than receiver.
The new West Coast Offense should use Crumpler's receiving talents more. In the former offense, the tight end's main duties were for blocking and in the run game, thus major reasons why the former regime investing high round picks into blocking tight ends. But at the same time, in San Francisco, where the offense is being transcribed, the tight end was not a significant part of the offense. But that was also due to the 49ers not having a tight end as talented as Crumpler since the days of Brent Jones. Greg Knapp should be able to take advantage of Crumpler's talents more than he could with Eric Johnson, Greg Clark, and Jed Weaver in the Bay Area. Knapp has already been tinkering with splitting Crumpler out wide to take advantage of the potential match-up problems with defensive backs and linebackers. The team took a hit this summer when free agent signee Hunter Goodwin retired due to lingering hip problems. Goodwin is considered one of the elite blocking tight ends in the league, and the Falcons were planning on employing both he and Crumpler in many two-tight end formations to bolster the run attack. But with Goodwin now retiring, it leaves a significant hole on the roster and depth chart.
The player to most likely fill that hole is veteran Justin Swift. Swift played under Knapp in San Francisco for three seasons between 2000 and 2002. Swift is more a receiver than blocker, but is adequate in both areas. He didn't really take advantage of his limited opportunities in San Francisco. There he was the team's No. 2 tight end, but probably would be a better fit as a No. 3 on most rosters. His knowledge and experience in the offense should make him a likely player to make the roster. Because of Swift's deficiency as a blocker, the team will not be able to use as many double-tight end sets as originally hoped.
Unless of course undrafted rookie Jason Rader can step up. Rader is a large blocking tight end in a similar mold to Hunter Goodwin. Goodwin's potential retirement was a main reason why the team pursued Rader. Rader caught 58 passes during his two-year career at Marshall, showing that he is equally productive as a receiver. But if Rader does make the roster this year, he will be utilized mostly as a blocker. He's big, but needs to improve his strength. Without Goodwin on the roster, the team is in need for a blocker off the bench, which improves Rader's chances of making the roster immensely.
Also on the roster is Spencer Nead. Nead was released by the Rams in June. He is a receiver and has only marginal ability as a blocker. But what Nead provides is a potential H-back, since he can play both tight end and fullback, something the team is missing with the departure of Brian Kozlowski. Nead disappointed with the Rams last year as they expected him to possibly earn the starting fullback job, but he did not. In 10 games last year, he only caught one pass. Nead needs to improve his consistency and play up to his potential. He's a longshot to make the roster since he's not the receiver that Swift is or the blocker that Rader is, but with a good camp he could be a surprise player that makes the roster.
The last tight end on the roster is Derek Rackley. Rackley is entering his fifth season for the Falcons. But he plays almost exclusively as the team's long snapper and only gets a few snaps on offense over the course of the season, most of which is in goalline situations. Rackley has decent hands and is a decent blocker, but he's not gotten a lot of work on offense over the past four years to really be considered a viable option yet as a backup. With questions looming about the team's depth, the team would be smart to try and start developing some of his abilities.
The team may also experiment with moving undrafted rookie Chris Curd to this position. Curd is a big wide receiver, but would be undersized for this position. But if he can show some good hands in camp, and show some ability as a blocker, the team may try to use him as a potential H-back for the future. Curd played some tight end during his stint at the University of Pittsburgh.
Salary Cap Sense
Swift is really the only player that might have the cap affect him negatively. His salary of $455,000 is significantly larger than that of Rader (approx. $235,000) and Nead ($305,000). Rackley makes a bit ($610,000) for a long snapper, but because he's a niche player, it's unlikely the team will part with him.
Roster Projection