Snap counts, you say? Snap counts, I say.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how the Falcons portioned out playing time yesterday in their preseason game against the Colts.
Offense
G Andrew Stueber: 55
G Kam Dewberry: 55
C James Brockermeyer: 49
WR Vinny Anthony: 46
QB Jack Strand: 44
T Ethan Onianwa: 41
G Brandon Walton: 41
WR Dylan Drummond: 37
T Mike Jerrell: 37
TE Jack Velling: 36
WR Antwane Wells Jr.: 32
WR Chris Blair: 32
TE Josh Simon: 29
RB Cash Jones: 29
QB Cooper Rush: 29
RB Nate Carter: 28
TE Nick Muse: 28
WR Keelan Marion:
25
T Wanya Morris: 25
C Corey Levin: 24
G Kyle Hinton: 18
WR Beaux Collins: 17
RB Tyler Goodson: 16
G Jaeden Roberts: 13
T Riley Mahlman: 11
WR Zachariah Branch: 8
It was a much better day for the team’s cast of offensive linemen, with Onianwa and Jerrell going from active liabilities to solid contributors. It’s worth noting, too, that Corey Levin was once again with the second-string ahead of Brockermeyer (who also played better Saturday), and that undrafted free agent rookie Kam Dewberry drew the “start” and held his own at right guard. The worst day among any offensive linemen probably belonged to the veteran Stueber, who scuffled a bit and drew two holding penalties on one drive. In a crowded, competitive group vying for roles behind Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, and Jawaan Taylor, standing out for good or ill could matter a lot.
The same is true at wide receiver, where Blair continues to improve and show off a well-rounded skill set that should have him in the driver’s seat, especially given that he’s probably the best blocker in the group vying for roles. Blair helped himself that way in my estimation, while Anthony continues to look really good as a returner and quite capable as a receiving option.
If the Falcons are going to keep four backs, I’m starting to believe Carter won’t be among them. He had a better day on Saturday than last Friday and is still a useful player the Falcons should plan to stash on the practice squad, but Goodson has pretty clearly been the better runner and is a more versatile player, while Jones looked explosive and capable as a receiving option out of the backfield.
The best thing Strand could do was outperform Rush; the second best thing he could do was keep pace with him. The Falcons aren’t in a position to lose Strand, who looks far more talented and comfortable than we ever could’ve dreamed of coming into the spring, and if all things are roughly equal he’ll likely beat out Rush for a spot. Rush’s experience and proven history of stepping in will be attractive to the team given Michael Penix Jr.‘s injury history and Tua Tagovailoa’s injury concerns, but the upside seems higher for Strand and he will be snapped up if he lands on the practice squad. This is QB3 we’re talking about, so you can decide how much you care.
Defense
CB Clark Phillips III: 27
S DeMarcco Hellams: 27
CB CJ Henderson: 27
OLB Keshawn Banks: 24
OLB Azeez Ojulari: 24
DL Devonnsha Maxwell: 24
CB Cobee Bryant: 23
CB Malcolm DeWalt IV: 23
DB Natrone Brooks: 23
DL Chris Williams: 23
OLB James Pearce Jr.: 22
DL Carlos Allen Jr.: 22
OLB Cam Sample: 22
CB A.J. Woods: 19
S Jammie Robinson: 19
ILB Josh Woods: 19
DL Eric Johnson: 17
ILB Daveren Rayner: 16
ILB Channing Tindall: 16
CB Mike Ford: 16
LB Kendal Daniels: 15
ILB Christian Harris: 15
DL Zach Harrison: 15
S Sydney Brown: 15
S Keidron Smith: 12
CB Darren Hall: 12
ILB JD Bertrand: 11
ILB Harold Perkins Jr.: 8
CB Darnay Holmes: 8
DL Marlon Tuipulotu: 6
Kendal Daniels and JD Bertrand starting and Christian Harris getting into this game late feels like one of those things we could put too much stock in…but I’m going to do it, regardless. Daniels looked great again and was pulled early, and I have to think he’s at least going to be in a timeshare playing next to Divine Deablo to start the season. I planted my flag on this a while ago and I see no reason to back off it now; the bigger news would be if Bertrand had passed Harris on the pecking order. We’ll have to see if that holds up in the preseason finale, but given that Channing Tindall or Josh Woods is probably sticking around for his special teams value and the team clearly really likes Perkins, either Harris or Bertrand is probably going to be in a tough spot.
At cornerback, Bryant had a bounceback game and DeWalt was quietly really good again, but it’s worth noting that Brooks and Henderson were deployed as starters. Henderson was penalized but otherwise looked solid, while Brooks turned in a customarily strong preseason performance, and if that’s the pecking order they probably will both make the roster with Aveion Terrell and Billy Bowman Jr. banged up. At safety, meanwhile, I have to think Hellams and Robinson have their spots locked up, and both turned in quality days again.
Up front, it’s good news for Carlos Allen Jr. that he both started and had real fun moments as a pass rusher in this one. After an impressive week of practice against the Colts, he’s somebody who should be able to at least latch on to a practice squad spot.
Special teams
Jammie Robinson: 19
Channing Tindall: 16
Nick Muse: 15
Malcolm DeWalt IV: 14
Josh Woods: 14
Azeez Ojulari: 13
Nick Folk: 13
Clark Phillips III: 10
Keshawn Banks: 10
Cobee Bryant: 9
Tyler Goodson: 8
Liam McCullough: 8
Jake Bailey: 8
Jack Velling: 7
Harold Perkins Jr.: 7
Kendal Daniels: 7
JD Bertrand: 7
A.J. Woods: 7
CJ Henderson: 7
Kam Dewberry: 6
Daveren Rayner: 6
Chris Blair: 6
Keidron Smith: 6
Darren Hall: 6
Andrew Stueber: 6
Brandon Walton: 6
Dylan Drummond: 5
Mike Jerrell: 4
Vinny Anthony: 4
Ethan Onianwa: 4
Christian Harris: 4
Darnay Holmes: 4
Cash Jones: 3
Nate Carter: 3
Riley Mahlman: 3
Beaux Collins: 3
DeMarcco Hellams: 3
Chris Williams: 3
Corey Levin: 3
James Pearce Jr.: 2
Natrone Brooks: 2
Wanya Morris: 2
Sydney Brown: 2
Kyle Hinton: 2
Devonnsha Maxwell: 2
Mike Ford: 2
Zachariah Branch: 1
Keelan Marion: 1
Carlos Allen Jr.: 1
When you’re a borderline roster guy, you want to be the special team coordinator’s best friend.
That’s why the heavy snap counts and quality performances for Robinson, DeWalt, Muse, Woods, and Tindall are really important. Tindall and Woods are effectively competing against one another for a roster spot, making those snaps incredibly valuable for both, while Robinson, DeWalt, and Muse could well beat out their competition (Robinson probably already has a leg up, but DeWalt is facing a spirited battle for a final cornerback spot and Muse needs to beat out Velling and Josh Simon) if they prove to be capable special teamers. I’d say you can safely book one of Woods/Tindall and Robinson in for spot already, based on who they’re competing against and their outsized roles here.
Also, nice to have a super reliable kicker, isn’t it? So far Nick Folk has been nails.
