Younghoe Koo and Ryan Allen brought stability to the Falcons’ special teams situation after poor performance and injuries slowed the group down over the first half of the 2019 season.
Josh Harris was the model of stability throughout the year regardless of who was kicking, holding or punting. The team has some decisions to make as we enter the 2020 offseason.
After breaking down Atlanta’s quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, defensive backs, defensive line and linebackers, let’s examine the special teams units.
2019 Depth Chart and Results
K Younghoe Koo
23-for-26 on field goals, 15-for-16 on extra points, onside kick specialist
K Matt Bryant
9-for-14 on field goals, 14-for-15 on extra points
P Ryan Allen
28 punts, 1,172 yards, 37.5 net average, 14 inside 20
P Matt Bosher
9 punts, 377 yards, 36.7 net average, 2 inside 20
P Matt Wile
6 punts, 290 yards, 44.7 net average, 3 inside 20
P Kasey Redfern
9 punts, 371 yards, 36.9 net average, 3 inside 20
Current 2020 Contracts
LS Josh Harris
Signed through 2021 on a veteran minimum salary each year.
Pending Free Agents: What Happens?
K Younghoe Koo
Exclusive Rights Free Agent
This one is an easy call. Koo was an exceptional kickoff guy and did a great job once he had a chance as a kicker. His range is limited to inside of 50, but he only had three misses on his 26 chances. That’s a 90 percent conversion rate. The Falcons could do worse than Koo on a second-year player’s minimum salary deal. This is the definition of low risk, high reward.
P Matt Bosher
Unrestricted Free Agent
Matt Bosher had an average of 41.9 yards per punt before his injury. The problem with keeping Bosher is that his leg looks like it’s finally starting to regress. Atlanta should be happy for the nine years they got out of Bosher and let him walk to another team. He seemingly had a down year in terms of total average, but his career average is closer to 46 yards per punt.
P Ryan Allen
Unrestricted Free Agent
On the flip side, Ryan Allen was one of the best punters the Falcons have had in terms of directional punting and pinning teams deep. On his 28 punts, 14 of them landed inside of the 20 yard line (50 percent). For comparison, even in Bosher’s best season, he had a 47 percent rate during in 2016 and punts inside the 20 just 39 percent of the time.
Possible Cuts
There likely won’t be any cuts in this positional grouping. The Falcons get back a consistent long snapper in Josh Harris at the veteran minimum for his position. They aren’t hurting for $400,000 the way some teams are and would be wise to keep the veteran long snapper.
Free Agents to Consider
K Nick Folk
Nick Folk has had a better career than Younghoe Koo to this point. But Folk is clearly on the downward slide. He did well with the Jets, but failed out in Tampa. That being said, it looked like he got his confidence back in New England after taking 2018 off. Folk connected on 82 percent of his kicks with the Patriots while being perfect on extra points.
P Lachlan Edwards
The Falcons could look towards Lachlan Edwards in free agency. His career average of 45.5 yards per punt is in the top half of the league.
2020 NFL Draft targets
K Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
Blankenship is a local Georgia talent who went to Sprayberry High School in Marietta growing up. He’s got massive power in his leg and can be an exceptional kickoff talent in the NFL based on his college results. He also has the power in his leg that Younghoe Koo doesn’t seem to have. There is some concern about his percentage falling year to year, though.
P Drue Chrisman, Ohio State
If the Falcons decide to forgo a punter in free agency, looking towards someone in the late rounds of the draft like Drue Chrisman would be a smart move. He averages over 44 yards per punt nearly every year up in the mid-west. Chrisman should see better averages in the pros in while playing more domes.
Out-of-Box Move to Consider
Trading for K Daniel Carlson from the Raiders
While it’s unlikely the Raiders would want to trade away Carlson, he’s the best option to go after. He has three more years of controllable cheap play and would fit in well with the Falcons. Unfortunately, the value wouldn’t be better for Carlson than it is for Koo. Carlson only hit 19 of his 26 attempts and missed two extra points.
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