Tag: Damontae Kazee

12 low-cost free agents who can help the Lions in 2021

Some budget free agency options for the Lions and GM Brad Holmes

Free agency begins on March 17th, the first time the new Detroit Lions management regime, headed by GM Brad Holmes, will have a chance to add significant pieces to the roster (outside of the Goff-Stafford trade, which also becomes official that day). We don’t yet know how Holmes, assistant GM Ray Agnew and senior executive John Dorsey will handle free agency acquisitions, but one way they can help the team is to find value without overpaying.

The theme here is to find lower-budget free agents who have a chance to contribute right away, but also with an eye toward perhaps being part of the longer-term success of the Lions.

None of the 12 players listed here should command more than $5 million per year on average. If that threshold isn’t met, the Lions probably need to pass on the players here. Also, none will be more than 31 years old at the start of the 2021 regular season.

Which pending Falcons free agents will return in 2021?

With the Atlanta Falcons already out of playoff contention, their Week 17 bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finally end a tumultuous 2020 season.

With the Atlanta Falcons already out of playoff contention, their Week 17 bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finally end a tumultuous 2020 season. Sunday’s game could also be the final time we see a number of players wearing a Falcons uniform.

Whether their contracts are coming to an end or they’re released as a way to clear cap space, Atlanta will have no choice but to make some tough decisions when it comes to signing players this offseason.

Notable players set to become free agents

• K Younghoe Koo
• C Alex Mack
• S Keanu Neal
• CB Darqueze Dennard
• RB Todd Gurley
• RB Brian Hill
• DE Steven Means
• DL Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
• TE Luke Stocker
• OL Matt Gono

Given the list of notable players whose contracts are set to expire, there aren’t many the Falcons can realistically bring back. Retaining kicker Younghoe Koo and safety Keanu Neal will likely be the team’s highest priorities.

However, given the lack of cap space, even after cuts, it may be unlikely to see both of them return. If the Falcons had to choose one, you would have to believe the team would side with Koo given his success in 2020.

Atlanta could still potentially bring back rotational pieces like DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner and DE Steven Means to fill out the roster, which currently sits at 31 players for 2021.

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Notable players who may be cut to clear cap space

With the Falcons currently in the negative by $24 million, moves will have to be made to get them out of the red. Not only will Atlanta be forced to cut some players, the team will have to restructure certain contracts in order to put a complete roster together.

• S Ricardo Allen – frees $6.25 million
• OL James Carpenter – frees $4.04 million
• DL Allen Bailey – frees $4.5 million
• DL Tyeler Davison – frees $2.2 million

Ricardo Allen has missed four games in 2020 with different injuries, while James Carpenter has sat out of three. Both defensive linemen Allen Bailey and Tyeler Davison are rotational pieces for the Falcons. These four are the most likely to be cut and could save the team $16 million in cap space.

With Dante Fowler challenging Ray Edwards as the worst free-agent signing in franchise history, the Falcons may be inclined to eat his $15.3 million in dead money and hang on to his $3 million in savings. This would clear nearly $20 million in cap space, almost getting Atlanta out of trouble.

If the Falcons were to move on from Allen and Neal, the team would be extra thin at safety next season. Damontae Kazee and Sharrod Neasman will see their contracts end in the offseason as well. Atlanta will have second-year safety Jaylinn Hawkins returning, but the potential losses will make the position a key priority in the 2021 NFL draft.

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Video: Raheem Morris on the Falcons’ lack of execution

The Atlanta Falcons have been bad through the first quarter of the 2020 season, but they’ve also had their share of bad breaks.

The Atlanta Falcons have been bad through the first quarter of the 2020 season, but they’ve also had their share of bad breaks. A freakish amount of injuries in the secondary and schedule that featured two NFC powerhouses in the first four weeks have played a role in the team’s 0-4 start.

What’s especially frustrating for the fans is that the Falcons should have easily won two of those games at the very least. If not for two fourth-quarter collapses, Atlanta would be sitting at 2-2. As it turns out, fourth quarters actually matter in the NFL, and you can’t win games without keeping your foot on your opponent’s throat for all 60 minutes.

It doesn’t appear as if Atlanta is going to make a head-coaching change yet, which would be tougher during short week following the team’s Monday night loss to the Packers. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris gave some of his thoughts on the defense’s lack of execution before Wednesday’s practice.

Watch below in the video shared by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure as Morris explains why he feels the defensive game plan hasn’t been the issue.

The Falcons are currently warming up for Wednesday’s practice. Check back in a few hours for the team’s injury reports.

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Damontae Kazee named Falcons’ ‘best kept secret’ entering 2020

The Falcons’ secondary has been decimated by injuries over the past few seasons, which helped open the door for the team’s 2017 fourth-round pick, Damontae Kazee, to earn more playing time.

The Falcons’ secondary has been decimated by injuries over the past few years, which helped open the door for the team’s 2017 fourth-round pick, Damontae Kazee, to earn more playing time.

In three seasons, Kazee has spent time at both the safety and corner positions, recording 171 tackles, 10 interceptions and 13 passes defended. With some uncertainty over Keanu Neal‘s long-term status after suffering back-to-back season-ending injuries and Ricardo Allen‘s contract up in 2021, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he earns a starting role on Atlanta’s defense.

In Bleacher Report’s feature highlighting each team’s best kept secret, the versatile backup safety was chosen for the Falcons. Gary Davenport wrote the following about Kazee below:

After barely playing as a rookie, Kazee logged 991 snaps for the Falcons in 2018. Not only did Kazee play, but he shined—he recorded 82 tackles, tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions and allowed just 53.3 percent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed.

Kazee’s playing time dropped a bit last season—but not by that much—and in 803 snaps at both safety and slot cornerback, Kazee tallied 74 tackles, picked off three more passes and surrendered a passer rating of just 66.3.

Kazee has everything a team could want in a 21st-century safety—he can play all over the formation, isn’t shy about chipping in against the run, has a nose for the big play and can hold his own in coverage.

After moving him back and forth between nickel corner and both safety spots, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said the team intends to keep Kazee at safety going forward.

It may not be in 2020. but Kazee seems destined for a bigger role with the team in the not-so-distant future.

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Dan Quinn says Damontae Kazee will remain at safety

Since the Atlanta Falcons released Desmond Trufant last month, many are assuming the team will add a cornerback in this week’s virtual draft.

Since the Atlanta Falcons released Desmond Trufant last month, many are assuming the team will add a cornerback in this week’s virtual draft.

The Falcons have Isaiah Oliver and Kendall Sheffield in place, but neither has proven they can be relied upon as starters next season. Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff spoke with local media Monday morning, giving some insight into how they view Atlanta’s 2020 roster.

One note to come from the video conference was Quinn’s preference for defensive back Damontae Kazee to play exclusively at safety next season, as tweeted by Falcons reporter Kelsey Conway below:

Kazee played some nickel corner in 2019, but was far more effective when playing the safety position. With Trufant out of the picture, some wondered if the team would make the versatile Kazee a full-time corner next season.

Obviously, Quinn and Dimitroff saw what everybody else did and will let the third-year defensive back play where he is most effective. Kazee will likely serve as a backup to both Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen.

Atlanta has no shortage of options at corner in the 2020 draft, with players such as CJ Henderson, Kristian Fulton, A.J. Terrell and Jeff Gladney as possible early-round targets.

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Panthers continue to flounder with 40-20 loss to Falcons

In true holiday spirit, they gave the game away.

With a 1-7 record at the unofficial halfway point of the season, the Atlanta Falcons were the unquestioned, undisputed laughingstock of the NFC South . . . that is, until, they got their hands on the Carolina Panthers.

Sunday’s trip to Atlanta marked a new low for the floundering Panthers⁠—whose collective hearts, minds and bodies seemingly stayed at home with the freshly dismissed Ron Rivera. In true holiday spirit, they gave the game away.

The first gift came late in the second quarter with the Panthers down 10-3, when tight end Ian Thomas mishandled what should have been a near-30-yard completion. Thomas bobbled a perfect toss from quarterback Kyle Allen, allowing an easy pick for safety Damontae Kazee. While they did limit the damage, redeeming one another on a one-yard touchdown connection to bring the deficit to three at the break, another teammate let Allen down soon after.

On the opening play of the third quarter, rookie left tackle Dennis Daley faltered in protection and gave Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley an open lane to the pocket. Beasley delivered a booming blindside hit to Allen’s back, forcing a fumble that’d set up a five-play, 46-yard touchdown drive for Atlanta.

Five minutes and a 93-yard touchdown catch by undrafted wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus later, returner Greg Dortch conjured up a fumble of his own, one that embarrassingly wound up in the hands of kicker Younghoe Koo. (Yup, it was that kind of day.) The Falcons capitalized on that as well, adding three more points to effectively put the game away at 30-10 with 4:55 left in the third.

Allen provided the cherry on top of the turnover-fest to wrap up the quarter. He’d miss Jarius Wright badly downfield, rewarding yet another layup to Kazee for his second interception.

Those four giveaways, added with the four from Week 10, have now given Atlanta eight of their 14 takeaways on the campaign. Oh, and they’ve given them half of their wins thus far, too.

Unfortunately, this is who the Carolina Panthers currently are and have been without a healthy Cam Newton under center, making today’s early report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that much more perplexing.

Since sustaining what is believed to be the major blow to his throwing shoulder on a hit from Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt a year ago, Newton has been playing with some sort of injury, whether it be to his arm or foot, since Week 10 of last season. The Panthers have gone 6-13 during that time.

With this latest defeat, Carolina has gone 0-4 against the Falcons over the last two seasons, bringing their NFC South record to 3-8 since 2018. If you expand that another year back and include their divisional round-loss to the New Orleans Saints in 2017, that record drops to 6-12.

The Panthers are now carrying a five-game losing streak on their backs, the second such streak over these last two dreadful, regrettable seasons.

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6 players to watch over the Falcons’ final 6 games of the season

Atlanta’s playoff chances are razor thin at this point, but until the team is mathematically eliminated, things should be interesting at the very least.

The Falcons put themselves in a tough spot by winning just one game over the first half of the season. After two weeks of dominant, complementary football, it seems as if the team has moved past its 1-7 start and is simply focusing on what it can control.

Atlanta’s playoff chances are razor thin at this point, but until the team is mathematically eliminated, things should be interesting at the very least.

With six games remaining, here are six players to watch as the Falcons try to do the unthinkable and sneak into a wild card spot.

K Younghoe Koo

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta’s kicker Younghoe Koo had another good game in Week 11. He is 7-for-8 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra point attempts. Cutting veteran Matt Bryant was a controversial move with the season in complete disarray, but Koo has been solid in his first NFL game action in two years. The Falcons are likely to play in some tighter games over their final six weeks, meaning we should get a chance to see Koo in some high-pressure situations as he looks to lock down the kicker job long-term.

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