'Damn Good Football Player': Falcons' Richie Grant Shines Without Spotlight

A look inside Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant's rise from questioned draft selection to impact player on the back end - and why there's more to come with free agent signee Jessie Bates III entering the fold.

Oh, the difference a year makes.

For Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant, there's perhaps no better phrase to describe the ascension that's taken place in the last 12 months - primarily with little attention from the outside.

Drafted in the second round out of UCF in 2021, Grant arrived in Atlanta with high expectations, viewed as a potential early impact player and building block in the first year under coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot.

But Grant's rookie year came and went with little noise; he played in all 16 games but was on the field for only 25 percent of the team's defensive snaps, logging 35 tackles and two tackles for loss while holding an extensive role on special teams.

Smith called it a "unique situation," as Atlanta was focused on bringing Grant along slowly, opting to have him learn behind veterans Erik Harris and Duron Harmon, but he was forced into a big nickel role after starter Isaiah Oliver went down with a season-ending knee injury, which made the Falcons change their plans.

Questions arose - the most prominent being whether Grant had the talent to grow into more than just a rotational player on the back end, a far cry from the lofty bar set for him on draft night.

Fast forward to present day, and Grant is coming off a true breakout season in which he quieted most, if not all, concerns about him and is entering his third campaign with serious momentum.

The 25-year-old Grant started in all 17 games and finished as Atlanta's second-leading tackler with 123, the fourth-most by a safety across the league and added three tackles for loss and seven passes defended.

Further, Grant more than slashed his missed tackle percentage in half (12.5 to 6.1 percent), dropped his completion percentage against by overall six percent (69.2 to 62.9) and saw his passer rating against fall by over 16 points (103.4 to 87.2).

Better yet, Grant's value stretched beyond the raw numbers, as he played in all but five of the Falcons' defensive snaps and made several big plays that Smith was quick to point out, including a game-sealing interception against the Seattle Seahawks that gave Atlanta its first win and a "huge" blocked punt late in the season versus the Arizona Cardinals.

The result? A heightened sense of respect for Grant around the Falcons' locker room, starting at the top with Smith, who believes the former UCF star doesn't get enough attention for the work he's done thus far.

"Richie’s made a pretty big impact here," Smith said. "Richie has a knack for getting to the ball (and) he’s a fun player to coach. We don’t have a lot of social media stars so maybe he doesn’t get the hype but Richie Grant’s a damn good football player. ... I’m very pleased with Richie."

Smith is certainly correct about Grant, who keeps a low profile on social media and isn't one to seek external attention - but his play on the field has helped create it, regardless.

Perhaps most encouraging about Grant's outlook is that the environment surrounding him is the best he's had to date, starting with the signing of Jessie Bates, who the Falcons made the fourth-highest paid safety in the league this spring.

Bates brings a ball-hawking presence to the secondary, having recorded at least three interceptions in four of his first five seasons, but he also provides schematic benefits for Grant, who now gets to play more snaps in the box and at nickel corner.

Last year, Grant a fair amount of single-high free safety, but he was more impactful when rolled down in the formation. Bates, conversely, stars as a single-high, which complements Grant's strengths quite well.

"He's a guy that when he's played down close to the line of scrimmage, you feel him," Smith said of Grant.

But Bates' presence is just as impactful for Grant behind the scenes; at 26 years old, he's just a year older than Grant, but comes with five seasons of professional experience. He's been in a similar position, trying to keep building on successful campaigns while expectations start to rise.

As such, Bates has a lot of confidence that his partnership with Grant will thrive - and the lessons he plans on teaching him along the way only helps support his case.

"I remember going into my Year 3 or 4, and just to give him my experiences, my knowledge, we're going to bounce off each other really well," Bates said.

Since signing with the Falcons in March, Bates has watched plenty of film on the team's defense, and noted he knew of Grant before arrival, as the 6-0, 200-pounder has "made plenty of plays the last couple of years."

This summer, Grant has continued to stand out, intercepting quarterback Desmond Ridder during training camp and impressing in both one-on-ones and team drills.

And while Bates is high on what he's seen on the field both before and after arrival, he's equally as fond of Grant as an individual, dubbing him "very high energy."

So, their working relationship is off to a fast start, perhaps in part because both players enjoy flying under the spotlight, which is one lesson Bates won't have to teach Grant.

That said, there's plenty the Fort Wayne, Ind., native has to share; he's not only played on the sport's biggest stage but made his presence felt and intends on doing the same with Grant this season.

But most importantly, Bates has learned during his professional career that there's no substitute for experience - and Grant, now armed with two years worth of it, is poised to keep ascending with Bates by his side.

"I think that knowledge is everything," Bates told SI's Falcon Report at training camp. "Experience is a lot - I think it's your biggest teacher. So yeah, I just think that formation wise and concepts, being able to speak the same kind of things and bounce off each other."

The Falcons are confident this budding back-end tandem will be one of the league's best, in large part because of the proven playmaking skills each have shown to date.

Bates is already a well-known commodity around the league, having earned All-Pro honors for the Bengals as a third-year player in 2020 and starring en route to the Super Bowl in 2021 while being viewed as one of the top players at his position.

Now, the Falcons are hoping Grant follows Bates' path to success in Year 3, and Smith believes that his ability to positively impact the game in several different ways lends itself positively to fulfilling that prophecy.

"He's got instincts (and is) a guy that does a lot of things for this football team," Smith said. "As you tweak things year to year schematically or even sometimes (the) week-to-week game plan, depending on who you're playing, (he's) another guy where the more reps he's got, the more comfortable he's been. And he can do a lot of different jobs for us."

None of how Smith or Bates described Grant came across as flashy, and for good reason - he's not perceived that way inside the locker room.

But don't get it twisted: his value, be it defensively or on special teams, is very much noticed and appreciated by teammates and coaches.

And so, whether the rest of the league is aware of it or not, Grant's quick ascension to being "damn good" has taken place right before the eyes of those around him ... and created the profile of a versatile, energetic safety poised to keep making plays, much as he has in the 12-month span that's changed the narrative around his career.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick

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