Falcons safety Richie Grant is the surprise cut candidate ahead of training camp

With the downtime between now and until training camp kicks off at the end of July, the NFL crew at A to Z Sports went through all 32 teams and selected a potential surprise cut candidate .

For the Atlanta Falcons, A to Z Sports picked safety Richie Grant, pointing out that he isn't as consistent of a player as he should be by now:

Richie Grant has had more downs than ups on his rollercoaster journey in the NFL. He was off to a decent start last season before DeMarcco Hellams swooped in and took his starting job. One could put the blame on Arthur Smith and his coaching staff, and then say that there’s a chance he could excel under Raheem Morris, who is very fond of him by the way. But if we’re being honest, he’s just not good enough to pass on saving a chunk of cap space.

Grant, who was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft was named a starter in 2022 and continued the trend for nine weeks in 2023 until he was benched for rookie DeMarcco Hellams.

Where Grant has really struggled since entering the league is in pass coverage, and that became obvious last season. Per Pro Football Reference , Grant allowed 39 receptions for 543 yards and six touchdowns on 57 targets last fall. That means there was a 70% percent chance that an opposing quarterback would complete their pass if thrown in Grant's direction.

Despite that number, Grant did log 104 tackles, best for fourth on the team, along with six passes defended, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one interception.

Grant now enters the final year of his contract and is set to hit the open market next year if he can't prove himself -- that is if the Falcons decide to keep him around until then.

According to OverTheCap.com , Atlanta would save over $3 million by cutting Grant, which would leave them with $843,343 in dead money.

Grant has made big plays here and there for the Falcons and offers upside as a special teamer, but there's no reason to keep him around if he doesn't put on a big showing during training camp, especially if it means saving some cap space.

Related: Atlanta Falcons' AJ Terrell, Kirk Cousins land on Top 105 NFL Players list