Falcons Sign Conrad Obi, Defensive Tackle Depth Now A Concern

Panicking about the depth at defensive tackle in August is, to put it mildly, an overreaction. That doesn't mean that my brow is un-furrowed, however.

The Falcons are now down both Corey Peters and Vance Walker. There's no word on how long Walker's going to miss, but Peters is out for training camp and the Falcons are basically down to two dudes with any NFL experience at the position. James Dator at SBN Atlanta admits to a level of concern with that, and I'll do the same.

On the other hand, if Peters and Walker do return in time for the season, this can be looked at as a real opportunity for some of the younger players on the roster. There's Travian Robertson, proclaimed as one of the strongest dudes in training camp and someone who further boosted his stock by splitting a sack with Lawrence Sidbury last night. And then there's Conrad Obi, who the Falcons signed yesterday.

Obi has decent size at 6'3" and 290 pounds, and is the hungry UDFA type trying to make a splash. He's a long shot to stick around, naturally, but I love that the Falcons are throwing a lot of young players in the mix and letting them try to impress. It's a winning strategy for spots low on the depth chart, particularly if the bigger names are healthy in time for the opener.

How many defensive tackles will the Falcons carry in 2012?