Dwight Lowery was signed nearly a month into free agency, a time where teams are usually picking up veteran depth and roster longshots. Not starters. Lowery was cheap, and available, thanks to a tough concussion that limited him to only three games in 2013. The former Jacksonville Jaguar was dropped onto injured reserve, then cut, before completing even two years of a four-year contract.
Who delivered the blow? Current Detroit Lions and former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate.
ESPN's Vaughn McClure interviewed Lowery about the season-ending hit.
"To me, that was more of a cheap shot because of my responsibility on the play," Lowery said. "I didn't see what Seattle did inside because I was focused on my man. I was shuffling with (Rice), staying square so it case he turned up, I could cut him off. The run play was on the other side of the field.
"Literally the flow of the play was going to the other side of the field. And for whatever reason, Tate decided to crack me. I didn't get crack called probably because the play was on the other side of the field. And, like I said, it was another one of those where I didn't see it coming."
Tate was later fined $21,000 for the hit, which should have come as no surprise after being fined $21,000 the previous season for a blindside block on Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee.
Lowery said will not be seeking revenge against Tate, but he is looking forward to Atlanta playing the Detroit Lions in London, England this season. Lowery is the favorite to start at free safety and would be a good bet to play against Detroit, and Tate, in October.