The Falcons Look To Have A Four Horse Race For Punt Return Duties

It's starting to look like the race for punt returner will come down to four individuals. Let's see who's currently fielding punts, eh, John Manasso?

#Falcons practicing punt return. Alford, Douglas, Franks & James Rodgers set to practice returns.

— John Manasso (@jmanasso) August 1, 2013

That's not a bad list. We knew Robert Alford and Harry Douglas would be prominently involved, and I suspected Dominique Franks would get a shot based on experience. James Rodgers isn't a particular surprise, but I don't know that he can be considered the favorite.

I would be stunned if Franks won. He's actually somewhat underrated as a cornerback, but as a punt returner last year he was more or less an unmitigated disaster. Harry Douglas was more effective, but he does have a significant role in the offense. Alford has great wheels, and if he loses the starting job to Desmond Trufant, he'd be a nice blend of ability and not overworking a player who has another prominent job on this team. Rodgers is a quality athlete who looked good at times last July and August, but he'll need to do a fantastic job because he's not going to get much run on offense.

Jason Snelling also apparently returned punts, but with all apologies to Big Snell, that's not going to happen. Unless Mike Smith is trolling us.

Who do you believe will win the competition?