UPDATE: It's not often a post I write is moot before it's even posted, but there you go. Winslow's been traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a seventh round pick.
When a player of some renown is released by a team in the Falcons' division, I feel like I should note it. When that player is an option for the team at a weak tight end position, however remote the chances of a signing may be, I feel like I should pump it through a boombox.
Yes, Kellen Winslow is probably going to be released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers very soon. He'll enter into a market where most teams have their starting ends in at least heavy pencil. There will be plenty of competition for his services, but he's not guaranteed a starting job.
And that's where the Falcons come in. The team has all-time great Tony Gonzalez atop the depth chart, but after him it's Michael Palmer and a variety of practice squad types. An injury to Gonzo would leave the team woefully thin at the position, with
Signing Winslow gives the team the option of a two tight end set, gives them a skilled pass catcher to take over if Gonzo does go down and significantly bolsters a weak depth chart. With Julio Jones, Harry Douglas, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Winslow running routes in an empty backfield set, this becomes a truly unpleasant team to face.
The only downsides? Winslow has his character concerns from years past, for one. The second is that he's really not much of a run blocker at this stage of his career, which means the Falcons would likely be carrying a top three set of tight ends who are, to state it accurately, fairly marginal blockers. That could be an issue.
On balance, I don't think it's remotely likely to happen, but that's more of a function of Kellen Winslow wanting to be a starter than it is anything else. Character concerns aside, he'd be an excellent backup for this football team, if the front office could somehow convince him to sign.
Do you agree?