Like an enormous puppy left in a tiny basket outside your doorstep, Rod Coleman is just begging to be picked up and brought into your home. I mean, look at him! He's one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the entire league. Why doesn't he have a job?
It seems to be the nebulous nature of his health that have scared teams away, which isn't quite fair. As his market price goes down, teams have to consider signing him as a low-risk, high-reward project. If he's healthy, Coleman's still an above average defensive tackle who at his worst provides you with a worthy starter. The question I'm posing is whether or not we want to consider bringing Coleman back, ala Joey Joe Joe.
The argument against doing it is pretty obvious. The Falcons need an aging, hurt fan favorite like Dimitroff needs another vat of hair gel. Drafting someone like Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis--neither of them a true nose tackle--would make Coleman a backup, and Jon Babineaux is perfectly capable of filling that role. Even if he was cheap, he may not be the right fit for this team in that scenario.
However, if the Falcons choose to go for a defensive tackle later in the draft, then Coleman might be worth it for a million or two. If--big if--he's healthy, he provides considerable value and boosts Jamaal Anderson's ability to get over his godawful rookie season by drawing more attention. Coleman is a legit sack threat, and if Trey Lewis returns healthy fairly early in the season he can chew up the running game like Pacman with teeth. In this scenario, and for the right price, I believe Coleman makes a lot of sense.
Of course, this largely depends on the draft. Given that the entire future of this franchise seems to, as well, this is nothing new.
Thoughts?