Safety was one of those best of times, worst of times positions for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. When things were going well—90% of Jessie Bates’ games, early encouraging efforts from Richie Grant, DeMarcco Hellams seizing a role—safety was undoubtedly a strength for the defense. When they weren’t—rare Bates lapses, Grant’s coverage woes, Hellams looking like the rookie he was—it was a problem.
Given that, I was very interested to see what a coaching staff heavy on defensive backs coaches would do with safety beyond thank their lucky stars that Bates is playing in Atlanta. Interestingly enough, we’re now in mid-May and the team has made very few changes to the safety depth chart, potentially indicating a high level of comfort with at least the top three-to-four options they have today.