This critical Falcons roster battle appears decided

There are a number of roster battles still ongoing as the Falcons approach their Week 1 matchup with the Detroit Lions. Many of them include members of this year’s draft class, as Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich push their rookies to make immediate impacts. However, it’s likely no position battle will affect the win/loss column more than the one between the two kickers — Younghoe Koo and Lenny Krieg.

Early last season, Koo became the all-time most accurate kicker in NFL history. He almost single-handedly beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, going 4/4 on field goals, which included a game-winning kick from 58 yards. The position was the least of the Falcons’ worries, but a hip injury changed all of that. Eventually, Koo was shutdown for the season as the Falcons turned to Riley Patterson.

There were legitimate questions about Koo’s future in Atlanta heading into the offseason. Teams cannot tolerate inconsistencies in the kicking game. It cost the Falcons on several occasions last year and is a primary reason why Atlanta is still trying to end their postseason drought. Koo very easily could have been cut to save some cash, but the Falcons opted to go the alternate route, bringing in Lenny Krieg for some competition.

Krieg is a 22-year-old German kicker that appeared at this year’s NFL Combine and turned heads, going 14-for-14 in his audition. That led to the Falcons signing him, and early on in training camp, it looked like this competition was going to go down to the wire.

That’s no longer the case. Koo, who has been automatic throughout training camp, received all of the kicking opportunities during Wednesday’s scrimmage.