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Falcons to work out Dashon Goldson, safety option with Keanu Neal injured

The Falcons are shopping for veteran safety help, potentially, with Neal out for 1-3 weeks at the beginning of the season.

Wild Card Round - Green Bay Packers v Washington Redskins Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Falcons have a lot of young options at safety, but with Keanu Neal sidelined, they’re showing signs that they’re concerned with the team’s depth.

Goldson, 31, has had an up-and-down career. The former fourth round pick looked like an emerging player with the 49ers in 2012, when he made his first and only Pro Bowl, but he followed that up by signing a massive contract with Tampa Bay and spent just two years there before being traded away for a late round pick. Last year he was solid (and a defensive captain) for Washington, but he hasn’t found a lot of interest on the open market.

For Atlanta, Goldson would be a reserve with a chance to start for a short while if Neal’s injury issues linger and/or Kemal Ishmael struggles mightily. It’s not an ideal landing spot for him if he’d like to start, given that Ishmael is perfectly capable of stepping in for a game or two, but he’d give the Falcons a more established option as a reserve than Robenson Therezie (who is more of a direct backup to Ricardo Allen, anyways) and young options like Sharrod Neasman and Damian Parms.

Keep an eye out over the weekend with us, and we’ll see if Goldson winds up signing.