Saints vs. Falcons DEFENSE Snap Counts: Young Safeties See Uptick in Playing Time

Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins played a massive chunk of Sunday's game.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 13, 2022

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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Atlanta Falcons

It may be the second season for Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant and the third for Jaylinn Hawkins, but it might as well be each of their first real seasons in the NFL.

Both young safeties primarily sat on the sideline during the first part of their careers, but now it is their time to shine.

In Sunday's season opener against the New Orleans Saints, both Grant and Hawkins played in all but one defensive snap. Here's a look at the entire unit's snap counts ...

Player	Snaps	Percentage
A.J. Terrell, CB	61	100
Mykal Walker, LB	61	100
Richie Grant, SS	60	98
Jaylinn Hawkins, FS	60	98
Rashaan Evans, LB	60	98
Casey Hayward, CB	59	97
Lorenzo Carter, LB	51	84
Grady Jarrett, DT	45	74
Ade Ogundeji, LB	39	64
Ta'Quon Graham, DE	37	61
Anthony Rush, DT	28	46
Arnold Ebiketie, LB	26	43
Dee Alford, CB	21	34
Timothy Horne, DT	19	31
Mike Ford, CB	17	28
Matt Dickerson, DT	13	21
Quinton Bell, LB	10	16
Darren Hall, CB	2	3
Dean Marlowe, SS	1	2
Erik Harris, FS	1	2

Grant and Hawkins were a featured part of the secondary, and head coach Arthur Smith believed both did a good job.

"I thought you could feel Richie," Smith said. "We had to plug and play different guys in that slot nickel corner spot last year, and I thought you saw Richie's versatility at times. I thought he covered pretty well when he had to go down there, which was an improvement from last year. But you could feel Richie; I thought he played fast. Hawk too, like all of us, it wasn't perfect, but Hawk and Richie, you could feel them."

If the defense is going to succeed, the development of Grant and Hawkins has to work out the way it was intended to. And even though the team lost its first game, there's a lot to be excited about with Atlanta's secondary.

Grant and Hawkins will look to bounce back Sunday in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

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Published Sep 13, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.