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William Moore, Justin Durant released by Falcons just one day after the Super Bowl

The two veterans find themselves on the street

By Dave Choate
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The writing was on the wall for William Moore, and I thought that Justin Durant might be cut due to the combination of his 2015 injury woes and contract structure, but I didn't expect either move to happen now.

Moore, 30, was the team's second round pick back in 2009, and served as the team's most best playmaker at safety ever since. Injuries had taken their toll on both his effectiveness and his games played the last two years, and with Dan Quinn in town and seeking his own players, he'll wind up elsewhere. Moore has been one of my favorite Falcons since he was drafted and this is a bitter sort of parting, but I'm betting he'll land on his feet elsewhere (Tampa Bay?), the team will save some money, and the Falcons will get to add a safety they feel good about. That's the way it goes in the NFL, and we wish him well.

Durant, 30, wound up playing 12 games for Atlanta in 2015, with mixed results. There were times where he was clearly the best linebacker on the field for Atlanta and times where he looked just as lost as the rest of the corps, and given that the team clearly plans to add linebackers and can save $2.3 million this year and over $3 million the next by cutting ties with him, this wasn't their most difficult call. Like Moore, he should have no trouble finding work.

Expect the Falcons to go for younger, more dynamic players at both spots as they try to remake a defense that was (at best) middle of the road in 2015. Your thoughts for these moves?

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