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The folks over at Pro Football Focus want to see The Full Damontae. Yes, the full one.
Kazee made the list of ten players PFF would like to see more of in 2018, and those of us here at The Falcoholic concur.
Damontae Kazee enters his second year in the NFL as somewhat of a chess-piece in the secondary for the Atlanta Falcons. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kazee landed in Atlanta as a cornerback out of San Diego State heralded for his instinctive hands and penchant for making plays with them. Seriously: buddy’s got hands.
Dan Quinn likes to say it’s “All about the ball.” Kazee’s collegiate career exemplified that aesthetic. Across four seasons as an Aztec he tallied 17 interceptions—one of the primary statistics (and accompanying skill sets) that led Atlanta to select him in 2017.
Damontae Kazee forced a couple of fumbles on defense and special teams in his rookie season with the Falcons, but what will his role be going forward? Safety? Slot corner?
Regardless of where he’s positioned, PFF is eager to see what he has to offer in his sophomore season.
With the additions of rookie Isaiah Oliver and veteran safety Ron Parker, it’s unclear where Kazee may fit in 2018, and his role is probably going to be smaller than it looked a couple of months ago. With Ricardo Allen angling for a long-term contract with the Falcons, Damontae Kazee may be next in line at free safety should all of the business-y football shenanigans not shake out for Allen’s Atlanta future.
The Falcons enter the 2018 season with an extremely deep and talented group of defensive backs, so it’s okay that it’s a bit murky as to where Damontae Kazee will do the bulk of his work. His ability to play both free safety and nickel corner works to his advantage, so an increase in snaps at both spots are a definite possibility, and an injury could propel him into real playing. We’ll see what DQ has in mind, but like Pro Football Focus, we’re excited to see more of what Kazee brings to the table.