When the Atlanta Falcons signed free agent Brooks Reed to a 5-year deal worth $22 million in 2015, they were planning on him being their starting strong side linebacker. But that isn’t really how things have worked out.
Reed played SAM linebacker very sparingly after starting his first season in Atlanta with a nagging hip injury. The majority of the reps went to O’Brien Schofield who is no longer on the team. So that would mean Reed would take over his original job as the starting SAM? Wrong.
That job now belongs to Vic Beasley who will be making the position switch from LEO defensive end to SAM which means Reed’s role in the defense is up in the air.