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I hope everyone is sitting down.
You might not believe this but Thomas DeCoud isn't a great football player. I know, I know, this is shocking news. You might not believe it but DeCoud ranks 83 out of 86 safeties for his performance in 2013 by Pro Football Focus. You might not believe he had one of the worst coverage grades in the entire league. Only one safety in the league gave up more touchdowns.
DeCoud's reign of terror may finally be over. ESPN's Vaughn McClure believes the news that the Detroit Lions cut a veteran safety will catch the Falcons' attention. I'd like to imagine Thomas Dimitroff did a spit take.
Don't be surprise if the Falcons investigate the possibility of adding free-agent safety Louis Delmas, who was cut by the Detroit Lions. Delmas became a cap casualty as he was set to count $6.5 million against the Lions' cap this season.
Delmas is a nice player I liked back in the 2009 draft. He has good measurables and plenty of talent, grading out positively at 26th overall. However, he has dealt with balky knees for years and has struggled to stay on the field. It is unlikely he will be a top five defensive back but he should always be better than 83rd.
Delmas should come cheap but should not be relied upon to finish an entire season. He may be a solid "bridge" safety while we develop a rookie this year.
Oh, and Dimitroff had this to say about the safety position.
"Do we need a safety? I think it's always important to have good, experienced safeties and safeties that will make plays on the ball and be adept and consistent tacklers," Dimitroff said.
Goodbye DeCoud.
Does anyone else like the idea of Delmas in Atlanta?