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The Falcons may not be done adding voices to the front office, after all.
Hearing the Falcons giving strong consideration to former NFL GM Billy Devaney for a front office role there. Already added Scott Pioli...
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 14, 2014
Devaney is no stranger to the Falcons, having served as an assistant to Rich McKay when McKay held down the general manager position in Atlanta. Devaney went on to serve as the general manager of the St. Louis Rams from 2008-2011, a mixed tenure if ever there was one. He's currently an analyst for ESPN.
There are multiple questions here. The first, of course, is what Devaney's role will be. If he's another assistant general manager alongside Scott Pioli, it's starting to get pretty crowded in Flowery Branch. That's especially true because while Scott Pioli is a close friend of Dimitroff's and the Comrade was heavily involved in his hire, Devaney is a McKay guy. Until we see what position he winds up in and who was the driving force behind the hiring, this question looms large, and it certainly lends credence to the idea that the team doesn't believe Dimitroff is going to fix the lines all by himself.
The second is whether Devaney can be an asset, and that's a little easier to answer. During his time in St. Louis, the Rams couldn't turn into a winning organization, but Devaney did preside over drafts that included Robert Quinn, Roger Saffold, Chris Long, James Laurinitis, and George Selvie. He missed horribly on Jason Smith, Sam Bradford was not a home run and he utterly failed to bring any offensive weapons in for Bradford to throw to, so his track record is spotty. The players he hit on are deeply, deeply intriguing.
If this move comes to pass, it's another sign that the Falcons are going to attempt to add eyes to the draft and free agency processes with major needs along the offensive line and in the defensive front seven. What would you think of the move?