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Falcons Sign Cornerback Josh Wilson

The Atlanta Falcons have signed former Washington cornerback Josh Wilson.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: The Falcons have evidently signed Josh Wilson to a one-year deal, per his Twitter feed and a report:

Wilson is likely to compete for fourth or fifth cornerback duties in Atlanta, with an outside chance of being a safety for these Falcons. We'll hope he bounces back to the form once he arrives here, as he was a quality young cornerback before his Washington stint. Terms are not yet available, but we'll find out before the end of the week, in all likelihood.

Our earlier story about his visit follows.

The Falcons have a visit coming with a former Washington Redskins cornerback looking for work:

Sometimes coincidences are just coincidences, but coming one day after the Falcons missed out on Rafael Bush because the Saints matched his offer sheet, this has to be viewed through the prism of the team's need for safety help. They already have Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Robert McClain and Javier Arenas at corner, making Wilson useful for fifth cornerback at best. As Scott Carasik noted on Twitter, on a veteran minimum deal he could be a special teamer, and maybe that's all this is.

On the other hand, Wilson is a prolific tackler for a corner who has a knack for being around the ball, even if he has a mixed track record of actually making plays with that positioning. He's short at just 5'9", but the Falcons are shopping for stopgap safeties, and if they think someone like Wilson could pull off the conversion, the 29-year-old might land in Atlanta and get a shot to do just that. I'd have to view him as a backup to a draft pick, any way you slice it.

What are your thoughts for Wilson?