Who's on the Roster?
#17 Chris Curd (6-3 220, rookie, Pittsburgh)
#84 Woody Dantzler (5-10 209, 3rd, Clemson)
#80 Terrence Edwards (6-0 171, 2nd, Georgia)
#87 Jimmy Farris (6-0 200, 2nd, Montana)
#86 Brian Finneran (6-5 210, 5th, Villanova)
#12 Michael Jenkins (6-4 218, rookie, Ohio State)
#19 Kendrick Mosley (6-2 197, rookie, Western Michigan)
#81 Peerless Price (5-11 190, 6th, Tennessee)
#16 Willie Quinnie (6-0 180, 1st, Alabama-Birmingham)
#89 Dez White (6-1 215, 5th, Georgia Tech)
Starters: Price (flanker), White (split end)
Top Backups: Finneran (flanker), Jenkins (split end)
Newcomers: Curd (undrafted rookie), Jenkins (1st round pick), Mosley (undrafted rookie), White (free agent/Bears).
The Falcons sport one of the youngest receiver corps they've had in over a decade, and it gives the team high hopes for the future.
This young corps is led by 27-year old Peerless Price. Last season, Price was a slight disappointment in that he did not provide very many big plays that prompted the Falcons to ship a first round pick and pay him a $10 million signing bonus. But part of Price's woes were caused by the erratic and poor play of the team's quarterbacks early on, and often times when he was in a position to make a big play, they could not get him the ball.
But now Price should get more consistent and better play from the quarterback this year with the return of Michael Vick. Price has good hands, but has been known to drop some easy passes from time to time. His vertical speed is his most potent weapon, and the team hopes to capitalize on that this season. But Price is still getting used to playing with Vick, who's left-handed release and velocity make his passes not the easiest to catch. But by the time camp rolls around, Price should be used to Vick's passes. He will be relied upon this season to lead a young corps of receivers.
Also providing some of that same veteran leadership is 28-year old Brian Finneran, the incumbent starter from the past two years. This year however, Finneran has been demoted to the status of third wide receiver as the coaching staff feels his skills are better suited to that role. Finneran is a good blocker and has great size and can make some tough catches in traffic. But he lacks speed and has inconsistent hands. But he also has the most experience working with Vick, having worked with the young passer since his days as the backup in his rookie year of 2001. When Vick makes his trademarks scrambles to buy time, it has been the case that Finneran's hands are where the ball most often times ends up. It would not be far-fetched to say that if Finneran is not Vick's favorite target, he is his most comfortable target due to their experience of working together for the past three seasons. Finneran is a jack of all trades type player for the team, since he can be used as a starter, reserve, and also performs well on special teams. Although he's working as a reserve right now, it would not be difficult to see him regain his starting position due to his hard work ethic in camp.
The player that took over the vacant starting spot was free agent pickup Dez White. White will play split end, as Price shifts to flanker. White too has faced inconsistency throughout his career, but has been a starter for the Chicago Bears the past two seasons. White's biggest issues come with his hands, as he caused quite a slew of headaches in Chicago because of his drops. But White has been making strides. Like Finneran, he is a big target, but has deep speed unlike Finneran. Most experts agree that White was a bit misused in the bland offense of the Bears in recent years, and because of it White has a lot to prove this summer. He currently holds onto the starting position, but he might find himself without a roster position period if he does not prove to have reliable hands. In the past, the Falcons have added free agents like MarTay Jenkins and Alvis Whitted, both of whom had questionable hands. Both of whom also played well in spring mini-camps as White has done. But both of whom did not continue that streak of good play into training camp and found themselves on the waiver wire. White should buck that trend, but he likely needs to land a job either as a fellow starter with Price or as the third wideout ahead of Michael Jenkins.
Jenkins is the biggest danger to White's security on the roster. Drafted in the first round, Jenkins is expected to make a big impact for the team in the future. But there is also hope that Jenkins can reap immediate benefits. First round wideouts have a history of not putting up big numbers as rookies, but Jenkins finds himself in a comfortable position unlike his predecessors that he will not be relied upon to do so. For now, he is slotted as the fourth wideout, and the Falcons are comfortable with the other three players doing most of the work. But the team would love it if they could get some sort of high-level performance from Jenkins, which would make an already talented receiver corps even more deadly. Jenkins has great size and has pretty good speed, although he does not play as fast as his 4.38-timed forty speed. Bottom line is that Jenkins is a work in progress, and training camp will be used as a learning tool. But it would not be surprising at all to see Jenkins get more playing time as the season wears on, to the point that he may be a starter by season's end.
Also on the roster the team has several returnees and newcomers. Chief among the returnees are Terrence Edwards, Jimmy Farris, and Woodrow Dantzler.
Edwards was an undrafted free agent last year. He impressed the former coaching staff with great hands last summer, but was unable due mostly to injuries to find playing time. Also counting against him is his slight frame, which has coaches worried how well he can take a pounding at the NFL level. Edwards is a good possession receiver that is hoping that he can parlay last summer's success into this year. If he can prove that he can play well on special teams it may be enough to land him a job.
Success of special teams is the niche of Jimmy Farris. Farris was excellent on special teams last season, and even showed some ability on offense catching two touchdowns in limited action. Because of this combination, it makes Farris the player to beat for the fifth receiver spot. Farris has experience working with many of the offensive coaches of the Falcons in receivers coach George Stewart and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, which also helps give him the inside track to a job. Farris has good size, decent hands, and pretty good speed. He doesn't excel in any area besides special teams, but is adequate enough to garner a few plays per game.
Dantzler is the biggest question mark at the position. A former college quarterback is now being moved to his third NFL position. Originally used at both running back and safety for the Dallas Cowboys, he joined the team as a running back last year. He spent a week in Dallas' camp as a rookie at wide receiver, but the experiment showed that running back was a more likely position. Dantzler is a gifted athlete with good speed and running ability. Grasping the wide receiver position should not be a huge step due to his roots at quarterback and knowledge of the passing game, but his ability to run routes and catch the ball are still up in the air. Dantzler's best shot at making the roster may come from his abilities as a kickoff returner. If he can outplay competition in that role, it will be his best bet to making the roster.
Willie Quinnie is technically a returnee, but can also be considered a newcomer since this new coaching staff hasn't seen that much of him. Quinnie excelled in NFL Europe this past spring, making plays as a receiver, runner, and returner. Quinnie has even shown some ability on special teams coverage as well. But it is still an uphill battle for the versatile player. Because he spent all of spring in Europe, he now is learning the offense and new playbook from scratch, and is several months behind the other players. In order to make this roster, Quinnie must impress the team with his raw skills and possibly return abilities. It's unlikely he'll manage a roster position, but if he can play well he may spend another year on the practice squad. Kendrick Mosley is the chief newcomer to the unit as an undrafted rookie out of Western Michigan. He had a big senior season, and comes to the team as a major sleeper. He has proven himself as a punt returner on the collegiate level and might have a shot at making the roster in that capacity. He has good hands, but lacks speed and strength. He's still raw, and needs a very good preseason in order to make just the practice squad.
Chris Curd is another undrafted rookie out of Pittsburgh. Curd played little at wide receiver over the course of his career, splitting time at tight end and safety until his senior year. He caught only three passes at Pitt, but the team signed him because they were impressed with his size and strength in workouts and his extensive experience on special teams. Despite this, Curd is still a roster longshot, but already had a solid mini-camp, which makes him less of a longshot than initially expected.
Salary Cap Sense
The salary could play an important role in the makeup of this unit. Because of cap figures of $910,000 and $835,000, Finneran and White, respectively, could face the purge, but it's doubtful that the team would cut both of them. Whichever player is lowest on the depth chart might get a visit from the turk, but that will only be if the team is strapped for money and either one played poorly. Dantzler's $380,000 cap figure may make him expendable since Edwards and Farris each count about $75,000 less.
Roster Projection