The Falcons cornerback battle is heating up

Things seemed pretty straightforward after Jalen Collins was suspended, if obnoxious. C.J. Goodwin would be elevated based on his performance last year and his special teams value, while Deji Olatoye figured to be the fifth corner because of his experience a year ago.

Now? Things are less certain, or at least they feel that way. Goodwin had a better effort in the second preseason game, but still hasn’t run away with the competition just yet. Olatoye has had some struggles, too, while rookie Janor Jones has done some fine work in his first two games, and Akeem King played better and picked up a nice interception against the Steelers. Preseason play only means so much, sure, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the position is settled just yet.

Goodwin and Olatoye are still my favorites for the fourth and fifth cornerback spots, assuming the team keeps that many corners, but I do think King at least has a decent shot of inserting himself into the discussion over the next couple of weeks. In preseason, where there is so much dead time and lousy football to be played, a position battle with additional intrigue matters.