Isaiah Oliver Signs with 49ers; What's Next for Falcons at Nickel CB?

After losing Isaiah Oliver to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, the Atlanta Falcons have an opening at nickel corner - how will they address it?

The Atlanta Falcons enjoyed an eventful start to free agency, marked by signing safety Jessie Bates III and bringing back right tackle Kaleb McGary ... but they suffered a notable loss on Wednesday night.

According to NFL Network, former Falcons nickel cornerback Isaiah Oliver signed with the San Francisco 49ers, bringing an end to his five-year run in Atlanta.

Oliver, a second-round pick out of Colorado in 2018, started his career playing outside corner but struggled, bouncing between starter and reserve.

His career changed for the better during the 2020 season, when he was moved to nickel and starred. The following season began the same way until a torn ACL in Week 4 brought his campaign to an early close.

This past season, Oliver eased his way back into the mix throughout offseason programs and started the season on injured reserve, ultimately playing in 12 games with five starts and making 37 tackles, defending seven passes and intercepting another.

Oliver was also an effective blitzer under now-retired defensive coordinator Dean Pees, logging three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and one sack in 2022.

With Oliver now out of the fold, what's next for the Falcons?

The in-house solution is Dee Alford, who saw extended action early in the season when Oliver was still on injured reserve.

Signed last offseason after starring in the Canadian Football League, Alford played in 16 games this past season, missing one due to injury, and finished with 25 tackles, seven passes defended and a game-sealing interception against the Cleveland Browns.

Alford has many fans inside Atlanta's building and flashed when given during his rookie season.

As for outside options, the Falcons have done their work on free agent corners and were recently linked to former Jacksonville Jaguars nickel Tre Herndon, who played over half his snaps in the slot this past season.

Another candidate to consider is Louisville's Kei'Trel Clark, who one Falcons coach said "flashed the most" while working with Atlanta's staff at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Clark is undersized at 5-10, 179 pounds, but routinely shut down receivers at the Shrine Bowl, twice earned second-team All-ACC honors and ran a blazing 4.42 40-yard dash at the Combine.

In essence, there are capable players available in both the draft and free agency, beyond Clark and Herndon ... and Alford will very likely be on the roster next season anyways, giving the Falcons plenty of options.

But ultimately, one option is off the table - Oliver's immediate return.

It marks the end of a tenure that featured a move from outside to inside, a coaching change, devastating injury in a contract year while playing the best ball of his career ...

And a phenomenal story of grit and perseverance, just the way a true nickel corner would have it.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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