Embrace The Falcons Signing Axed Veterans

Most of you are at least mildly intrigued by the possibility of the Falcons signing Brandon Flowers, but there's some concern about young players getting short shrift when these things happen. I'm here to tell you not to worry.

Instead, we should embrace these veteran signings at key positions of need. It's true that Desmond Trufant was fantastic last year and Robert Alford has enough talent to be as good or better, but it's equally true that after that Robert McClain, Josh Wilson, Javier Arenas and Ricardo Allen offer something less than fantastic upside in 2014. If bringing aboard Flowers improves the team's fortunes and gives the Falcons a better depth chart--remember, they love that nickel defense--then it's a smart move.

The team has made the occasional canny signing or trade in the summer to improve the team, like the swap for Asante Samuel that was so crucial in 2012. I see many fans clamoring for a bigger-name trade to push this team to the next level, but those kinds of trades are so rare in June and beyond that we might as well not get our hopes up. When you've spent an offseason retooling your team, you're looking to supplemental additions now, and someone like Flowers as a potentially starting CB this late in the game would be a nice pickup.

Perversely, I'm less convinced the Falcons have a need at linebacker, despite just losing arguably one of the team's best options there in Sean Weatherspoon. That's chiefly because the Falcons have so many options available that it's likely they'll get four competent starters, even if it's true that the 2014 Falcons linebackers will likely fall short of stellar by a league or two.

Regardless, though, don't be too skeptical of the Falcons' habit of hitting the summer bargain bin for help. It has been a help before, and it may just be again.