Kerry Meier needs a great training camp and pre-season to lock down a job. Thankfully, he appears to be well on his way.
The Falcons have long enjoyed the presence of big fourth receivers with sure hands who can play on special teams. Brian Finneran filled that role for years—sometimes rising well above the fourth receiver, to be sure—and Meier was his heir apparent coming into last season. Until he lost the entire year to injury, of course.
Fortunately, Meier has hit the ground running. According to the coaching staff, Meier is back at full speed and impressing early. The Falcons have envisioned Meier as a jack-of-all-trades type since last year, fantasizing about lining him up at receiver, having him block out of the backfield and perhaps throwing a handful of passes. The fact that he's recovered to the extent that the team doesn't have to hold him back has to be encouraging for everyone.
Of course, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas have all looked great, too, so I don't expect him to climb the depth chart this off-season. He's still valuable as a reserve.
What are your expectations for Meier in 2011?