Why biggest position battle at Falcons camp isn't cornerback

Going into Atlanta Falcons training camp, every Falcons fan was wondering if the Falcons were going to bring in a veteran corner that could come in and play on the opposite side of AJ Terrell and be the Falcons number two cornerback. Well, while the Falcons have brought in other corners this offseason none of them are likely to take the other outside cornerback spot away from 2023 fourth round draft pick Clark Phillips III.

Now, the battle for the slot/nickel corner spot will be an interesting one that could feature Dee Alford, Mike Hughes, and maybe even Richie Grant, but that won’t be the biggest position battle at Falcons training camp this year. The biggest position battle at Falcons training camp this year will be the battle for kick return and punt returning duties, and early today The Morning Shift explained why that’s the biggest position battle in Falcons training camp this year.

Beau Morgan and Mike Johnson do both mention that there are a lot of guys in play on the Falcons roster that could be good kick returners and/or punt returners for the team. Guys like Avery Williams, who handled the bulk of the kick return responsibilities in 2021 and 2022 before suffering a torn ACL last June. Other guys are in the mix well such as Ronadle Moore, Ray-Ray McCloud, who has been a return specialist nearly his whole career, Mike Hughes, possibly running back Tyler Allgeier, and maybe even Bijan Robinson

Even with a lot of stiff competition stemming from the new kick-off rules the NFL implemented this offseason Beau still thinks Avery Williams will be that guy when it comes to returning kicks.

“I think there’s quite a few guys that you could see get that opportunity because of their skillset, but I think Avery Williams, who also was a running back at one point in time, and maybe still will be on this team.”

Mike brings up a name that not many have mentioned when it comes to returning kicks and or returning punts this season, and that name is Dee Alford. Mike says he believes Alford has “some of the most natural return abilities”.

The Falcons have a lot of good options and a lot of guys who have experience returning punts and kicks on the team, and that alone makes for a great training camp battle, so it’ll be fun to watch who will get the chance to take advantage of the NFL’s new kickoff rules, and who will get the opportunity to return punts as well.