Dominique Franks Is In The Hunt For A Starting Cornerback Job...Supposedly

The Atlanta Falcons like to open up as many jobs as possible to an honest competition. We all knew that Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant would be fighting it out for a starting cornerback role, but did you know that Dominique Franks is apparently in the competition as well?

It's a throwaway line in Jay Adams' article at the mothership, but there are no throwaway lines when you're talking about someone who has access to the inner workings of the team we all know and love. If we "(shouldn't) count Franks out," as Adams writes, then that means the Falcons are at least going to maintain the illusion of giving him an honest shot. That's more than a little unexpected.

There are reasons to be skeptical here. Franks came out of college as a thumping corner with size who had the athleticism necessary to turn into a useful player, but he's had mixed results when given playing time. Trufant and Alford are the future for the Falcons, and Trufant in particular comes out of college with some polish on his game. The fact that most of his competition consists of young, unproven players would seem to give him his best shot, but Franks hasn't been able to mount a real challenge for consistent playing time in years past. Unless everything clicks for him this year, I fully expect Trufant to beat him out.

You weigh in. What of Franks and the competition?