Falcons Sign Bear Woods And Rafael Priest To Futures Contracts

Hat tip to D. Orlando Ledbetter on this one.

Obviously, the return of Bear Woods is a headline in its own right, given the love affair Falcoholics everywhere have with the guy. The Troy State linebacker became a fan crush this pre-season based on a reputation as a big hitter, his habit of wearing snakes in his hair and being named Bear Woods. You can't argue with that.

The Falcons have shown a knack for nurturing talent on the practice squad, so Woods may very well have a future with the team, assuming he can win one of eight spots on the squad. As a thumper with some promise, I hope he can stick.

Rafael Priest is the new Rafael Bush. With Erik Coleman gone the Falcons are probably going to want to get a good luck at a couple of young safeties/cornerbacks before they decide if they're going to sign a free agent backup, and Priest was a four year starter at TCU, amassing 108 tackles and 40 pass deflections over that span. He fits the mold of guys Thomas Dimitroff loves, too, as he was a graduate student finishing his career and is, by all accounts, a smart dude. He may be able to play either corner or safety.

Given that he lacks the big-play potential of Bush he may top out as a backup, but he's still valuable depth.The Falcons can always use that.

Let's welcome both these guys.