Falcons Roster Review: Robenson Therezie

The Falcons have unearthed a few undrafted free agent gems over the years, from Jessie Tuggle to Brent Grimes and Ryan Schraeder. I'm not suggesting that Robenson Therezie is going to join that lofty list...but hey, he might.

Therezie managed to crack the roster, stick around, and author a couple of big plays in his rookie season, and he figures to gradually carve out a larger role as time goes on. Here's a look at his 2015 season and 2016 outlook.

A Promising Start

Therezie played well over the summer when he had the chance to, but there was no particular reason to think he was going to be the UDFA who latched on unless you were A) an Auburn fan or B) a particularly astute judge of what Dan Quinn and company were looking for at safety.

For all that, though, Therezie stuck around and wound up playing in 13 games, with 33 tackles, two pass deflections, and one hell of an interception to his name, plus solid special teams play. William Moore's litany of injury woes opened the door for him a bit, but Therezie was far more polished than your average undrafted safety, particularly one that stands just 5'9".

Contract Status

Therezie is under contract through the 2017 season, with cap hits of $525,000 this year and $615,000 in 2017. In other words, he's a bargain even if he's just a decent reserve.

2016 Outlook

I can't shake the feeling that this team likes Therezie more than any public comment would indicate. They rostered him, kept him around, got him playing time and generally did everything you'd expect from a team looking to test and develop a young safety. Expect the Falcons to add at least a stopgap option at safety this year, but Therezie is likely to compete for a starting job and wind up offering value as hard-hitting, useful backup for Atlanta this year. I would not be shocked to see him earn a starting gig in 2017, even if it's a longshot this year.