Falcons looking at an intense kicker battle?

Atlanta's long-time kicker Matt Bryant has had an unforgettable career with the Falcons. He spent years as one of the most clutch kickers in the league, winning countless games with his foot. He turns 41 at the end of the month, and finished last season on injured reserve after some inconsistent kicking. The team brought in undrafted kicker Nick Rose, and it sounds like there will be a real competition for the spot.

Vaughn McClure of ESPN has the news, with Dan Quinn confirming Rose is competing with Bryant.

"Yeah, we were pleased with him," Quinn said of Rose. "Both days [of minicamp] we kicked a lot. We tracked all the stuff and went all the way back as far as you can. He's got a strong leg. In talking to [special-teams coach] Keith Armstrong, the technique's there. We knew we were going to come and have competition at the position, and he certainly proved that he's up to the challenge."

This competition may be overlooked, as Rose was not a great college kicker. He certainly wasn't good enough to trade up in the 2nd round to draft (lol), but he has some upside at a much lower salary than Bryant.

However, based on Kyle Shanahan's red zone offense, trusting the kicking job to a rookie could be a disaster. Fans should be hoping for a healthy Bryant to keep the competition to a minimum.