Falcons Make 3 Starting Lineup Moves; 'Permanent'?

The Atlanta Falcons made three noticeable adjustments in their secondary during Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, giving extended snaps to cornerback Clark Phillips III, nickel Mike Hughes and safety DeMarcco Hellams over the likes of Jeff Okudah, Dee Alford and Richie Grant.

When the Atlanta Falcons took the field for their first defensive possession in Sunday's 9-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers, they did so with a noticeable change at cornerback.

Rookie fourth-round pick Clark Phillips III received the start at corner over Jeff Okudah, who'd started the previous nine games in which he'd appeared opposite A.J. Terrell.

Phillips started the week before in Atlanta's 29-25 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was due to Okudah being inactive with an ankle injury.

This time around, Okudah, who wasn't on the final injury report, was active - The Falcons simply played Phillips over him in a must-win game.

But why?

During his press conference Monday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith mentioned an uptick in Phillips' performance ... but also said the switch may not stay in place moving forward.

“Not necessarily permanent, but some of it was a little bit of the game plan,” Smith said, of the changing parts in the secondary. “Clark had been playing better. We did put Jeff in there a few times, but we’ll continue to evaluate that.”

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) runs after a catch as Atlanta Falcons cornerback Clark Phillips III (34) defends during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 who was acquired via trade from the Detroit Lions this spring, missed the first three games of the season with an ankle injury but impressed upon returning, giving up three total catches in his first four games.

But he's faded of late, headlined by a dismal two-game stretch against the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in which he allowed 13 receptions for 240 yards on 19 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

The 24-year-old Okudah's one-game absence came after the Jets game, and by the time he returned, Phillips had unseated him - and it's not difficult to see why.

Phillips, who earned PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 at the University of Utah, starred against the Buccaneers in place of Okudah, with Pro Football Reference charting him as having allowed zero receptions on seven targets.

The same was true the week before, when Phillips replaced Terrell after Atlanta's first defensive series due to the former All-Pro corner departing with a concussion.

Phillips allowed just three receptions for 15 yards on five targets and drew praise from Smith for his mentality, as he did again following his performance vs. Tampa Bay.

“I think if you watch Clark Phillips, he’s hoping the ball comes his way,” Smith said Dec. 13. “There are guys that hope the ball doesn’t come their way. The guys that want it, I think that’s a good trait to have.”

Okudah played 16 snaps, or 24 percent of Atlanta's defensive total, against Carolina, but took a clear backseat to Phillips, who played the other 76 percent.

The Falcons gave Okudah an opportunity on the final defensive possession, and he was on the receiving end on a difficult back-shoulder reception from Panthers wideout Jonathan Mingo, a 20-yard pickup to convert on 3rd and 3 that proved critical in the end.

And so, perhaps there's more competition to come between over the season's final three weeks, but with Okudah set to enter free agency this spring, Phillips may be in line to receive a bigger workload as a key factor in Atlanta's future.

That said, Phillips wasn't the lone rookie to start in the Falcons' secondary Sunday, as seventh-round safety DeMarcco Hellams received the nod over third-year pro Richie Grant.

Hellams played 62 defensive snaps, which is 94 percent of Atlanta's total, while Grant saw just seven snaps, or 11 percent.

Perhaps more importantly, Hellams played at a high level, generating the third-best Pro Football Focus grade (76.6) on a defense that failed to allow a touchdown. Conversely, Grant mustered a miniscule 48.3 overall grade.

The Falcons began playing more three-safety looks upon returning from the bye week in Week 12, as Hellams went from not once eclipsing 25 percent of defensive snaps during the first 10 games to playing at least 50 percent in the four that have followed.

He reached a new level Sunday, and as a result of the way the Panthers played schematically, Smith and defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen were forced to make a decision - and chose Hellams.

In a similar twist, Atlanta opted for Mike Hughes over Dee Alford at nickel corner, with Alford not playing a single defensive snap for the first time this year.

Game plan was an important factor ... but so is the recent play of Hughes and Hellams.

“The way the game went, they were short on tight ends,” Smith said. “Mike Hughes played really well. So, we didn’t rely on some of the other personnel packages that we normally carry into the game. That’s a credit to Hellams. Mike Hughes, he played really physical.”

Again, Smith said these changes are "not necessarily permanent" - but in a game the Falcons desperately needed, there was a stark contrast in snap counts from previous weeks.

Is it a sign of things to come? Or merely a one-week anomaly?

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The answer will be in soon enough, as the Falcons host the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. EST Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

And may be doing so with a suddenly new-look secondary.