Atlanta Falcons Camp Battles: Nickel

Nickelback isn't just the name of a tired, loathsome band from the 2000s but an important position on the field. For the Atlanta Falcons, the spot definitely needs attention. Many remember the way opponents absolutely torched the Falcons' secondary. 

In all honesty, the defense did not have the personnel in the pass rush or on the back end, let alone the scheme, to play well in passing situations. 

Poor secondaries cannot get off the field, and they certainly weren’t being helped by the long-standing anemic pass rush. 

From top to bottom, the Atlanta Falcons' defense underwent a serious makeover during the offseason. Now, whether that pays off or not, remains to be seen. However, you cannot fault general manager Terry Fontenot for taking bold moves in order to fix the problematic defense. There will be significantly more competition at all levels of the defense than last season. 

Now, with that said, what would the camp battle at nickel look like?

Billy Bowman Jr.

This is a bit of a crapshoot, but the gamble could eventually pay off. Bowman flashed excellent ball skills at Oklahoma, picking off 11 passes and scoring on three of them. He is a magnet for the ball. Additionally, Bowman's speed can keep him viable during the play. 

However, Bowman's tackling needs a ton of work to vie for the starting job. Everything else lines up for a strong camp battle. Not the tallest defensive back at 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, the Falcons drafted the former Oklahoma safety to possibly start at nickel.

Clark Phillips III

After spending his first-two years outside, the 5-foot-9 and 184-pound Phillips is finally being moved to his more natural position. Phillips is an instinctive football player who lacks elite traits for an outside cornerback. He’s ideally suited to play in the slot where field vision and anticipation mean more than an extra two inches in height or a tenth off a forty time. 

Cobee Bryant

At 6-feet-tall, Bryant will get a chance to make the team as an undrafted free agent. He’s got a size and length advantage over the other cornerbacks in the slot, but he may be needed to add depth outside.

At Kansas, Bryant picked off 13 passes and forced three fumbles, which means that he can either make a play before or after the catch. The only negative in his favor is a perceived lack of explosion and twitch. However, as a nickel corner, Bryant doesn't need great speed, just timing and instinct, which he has in abundance.

Dee Alford

Alford started 11 games for the Falcons last year, but he could be an underdog to even make the 53-man roster this year. Teams connected on 72% of their targets in Alford's direction. He also missed 16 tackles last season. Most importantly, the slot corner allowed a mind-blowing eight touchdown receptions. That resides in the realm of the inexcusable.

The word that got used way too often last season at Flowery Branch was “comfortable.” The Falcons defense played with very little urgency. After an offseason that has seen several new additions at each level of the defense, “competition” will be the new c-word in Atlanta. Nothing epitomizes that notion more than the camp batter at nickel for the Falcons.