Flick's Falcons Mailbag: Who's a 'Surprise' Training Camp Cut?

Answering fan-submitted questions on all things Atlanta Falcons, including projecting defensive starters at linebacker and corner, a potential surprising cut in training camp, the future of Rashaan Evans and more.

The Atlanta Falcons just wrapped up the second phase of OTAs with their first trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium since the season finale.

There are officially under 100 days until the Falcons kick off the season at home against the Carolina Panthers, and just under 70 days until the preseason opener at home versus the Miami Dolphins.

Have any questions in the meantime? Feel free to submit them to us here at Sports Illustrated's Falcon Report or on Twitter @DFlickDraft to be featured in future editions.

But for now, let's open it up for this week's mailbag ...

Any word on us resigning Rahsaan Evans yet, or is that not happening? What’s your take on Mykal Walker this upcoming season, and how many snaps do you think he’ll get? He was not great in pass coverage last season and was not a great tackler. - @AZip70

The situation here has largely been the same for the past several months - there's marginal mutual interest, but Evans, the Falcons' leading tackler last year with 159, is naturally eyeing an environment in which he'll receive an opportunity to provide a repeat performance ... and Atlanta doesn't seem to be that place.

Still, the Falcons' coaching staff is fond of Evans and vice versa, even with former defensive coordinator Dean Pees now retired. Evans' fit under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen isn't as straightforward, and the signing of Kaden Elliss to pair with Troy Andersen likely secures the starting linebacker tandem, thus reducing the 2018 first-round pick's shot at heavy playing time.

So, Evans is largely in wait-and-see mode; there's interest, but he's waiting for the right chance, which could, in theory, still be Atlanta - there just has to be some give and take on role or a change of plans for Elliss and/or Andersen.

As for Walker, a workload similar to what he saw in 2021 - 17 percent of defensive snaps and 73 percent of special teams snaps - seems reasonable, but it's important to note that neither Elliss nor Andersen are considered to be sure things.

The Big Sky Brothers have plenty of reasons to be viewed optimistically, but there's also not necessarily a lengthy track record of success to where the floor is incredibly high, which means Walker has a chance to see a larger defensive role should either not meet expectations.

Atlanta's coaching staff has long praised Walker's leadership, intelligence and communication, and he's well-liked in the building, but he fell out of favor for Andersen down the stretch last year and should enter this season as the team's No. 3 linebacker, seeing around 10 to 15 defensive snaps a game while making an impact on special teams.

Any of our young "smaller" Defensive Ends suitable for a position change, low compensation trade or is a future of special teams then off the roster what you're forecasting? - @Cleve98

The focus here is on Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone, the Falcons' second- and third-round picks in 2022, respectively.

Cleve poses an interesting point here, as the two are naturally seen as 3-4 outside linebackers, but Nielsen largely operates out of the 4-3. That being said, the Falcons plan on being multiple, and both Nielsen and coach Arthur Smith have stressed maximizing players' skill sets as opposed to sticking with scheme over personnel.

Even in a 4-3, Ebiketie has a role - he's 6-3, 256 pounds and has shown he can hold up on the edge as a run defender in down alignments. There's more concern about Malone, who stands 6-4, 240 pounds and made more of an impact as a run defender and coverage piece than pass rusher in limited snaps as a rookie.

Really, Ebiketie feels much more likely to become a steady, seven- to eight-sack per season player than changing positions, being traded or taking on a special teams role.

It's less clear for Malone, who consistently earned high marks for his work on special teams last year, but the idea that's most fun is a transition to SAM linebacker, where his athleticism and physicality present a high ceiling and wouldn't require him to drastically change his body type, which has always been considered slim to play on the edge.

Ultimately, the picture should become clearer after a few weeks once Nielsen's vision is translated onto the field, but there shouldn't be concern around Ebiketie, and as things stand, intrigue as opposed to pessimism feels like the right idea to pose for Malone.

Who will be a surprise training camp cut? - @sumoGondola

It's difficult to gauge where nose tackle Eddie Goldman stands in terms of outside expectations, but his celebrated return creates the conclusion that him being cut would classify as a surprise.

To recap the last three years, Goldman sat out 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19 on his family, returned in 2021 but posted career-lows in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits, remained unsigned until last July, retired shortly after signing with the Falcons and then ultimately un-retired this spring.

Goldman hasn't been at OTAs, but Smith said he trusts him and his conditioning plan, though there's not really any way of knowing just how close he is to football shape or returning to the form he had during his first five seasons with the Chicago Bears.

So, really, it's entirely possible that the 6-3, 332-pound Goldman is stellar during training camp and the preseason and becomes an impact rotational contributor on the Falcons' defensive front - but it's also far from a stretch that he loses out to 2022 undrafted rookie Timmy Horne, who received starts to close out last season and was oft praised for his frequent progress.

Atlanta's rebuilt its defensive line this offseason, headlined by the additions of David Onyemata and Calais Campbell, and there's going to be more competition for roles up front than in years past. Factor in the possibility that Nielsen's defense reduces the need for more than one nose tackle, and it could come down to Goldman vs. Horne ... in which case the latter feels like a safer bet.

What contract will rookie offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron get? - @BeckettHits

Bergeron, selected by the Falcons at No. 38 overall in Round 2, is the last of Atlanta's six draft picks to not sign his rookie deal, with the other five signing prior to or during rookie minicamp.

The exact reasoning behind the delay isn't particularly clear, but according to Spotrac, only eight second-round picks have signed with their respective teams, none of which were among the first nine players off the board to kick off the draft's second night.

So, in short, no reason to fear, and the contract won't become important until training camp.

As for projected details, let's defer to OverTheCap, which has historically been quite good at predicting rookie deals based off their draft slots.

For Bergeron, the current projection is a four-year deal worth just under $9 million, or an average of roughly $2.25 million per year, which would put him as the league's 22nd-highest paid left guard.

Who will be the Falcons' starting linebackers Week 1? - @ImagineMichael3

The heavy favorites at the moment for Atlanta's two off-ball linebackers are the aforementioned Elliss and Andersen; the former signed a three-year deal worth over $21 million this spring while the latter started each of the final four games after being selected in the second-round last year.

Behind them, the only other linebacker tipped to be in the mix is Walker, but he's likely looking at playing roughly 15 percent of defensive snaps in a reserve role, as was mentioned above.

There's more intrigue surrounding what the Falcons choose to do with their outside, on-ball linebackers; there are quite a few bodies in the mix with Ebiketie, Malone, Lorenzo Carter, Ade Ogundeji and the newly signed Bud Dupree, among others.

Carter started every game a season ago, but it feels like Ebiketie has the inside track to getting the first opportunity. Dupree is a particular wild card - he says he's as close to full health as he's been since tearing his ACL in 2020, when he was on pace to post back-to-back double-digit sack campaigns.

Ogundeji will likely be in his traditional run defending role, while Malone could make the shift to SAM or be used as a rotational pass rusher. Regardless, as Campbell said, the Falcons have "a lot of weapons" - and with the pass-happy NFL, there should be more than enough snaps to go around.

Who will be the Falcons' starter at CB2? - @Abednacoolguy

It feels like Atlanta may have answered this question when it released Casey Hayward shortly after trading for Jeff Okudah from the Detroit Lions in April.

During OTAs, Okudah has seen a lot of work opposite All-Pro A.J. Terrell, and the main feeling from most interviews with coaches is that the former No. 3 overall pick gets the nod.

The Falcons have quite a few corners looking to make the roster behind Terrell and Okudah, with Mike Hughes, Dee Alford, Darren Hall, Clark Phillips III and Cornell Armstrong all fighting for roles.

But at this moment, that battle appears to be for reps at nickel corner as the No. 4 option, with Terrell and Okudah appearing safe atop Atlanta's depth chart.

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