Atlanta returned much of its 2024 cornerback corps, and is hoping for better results from them and new addition Billy Bowman.
The Atlanta Falcons head into 2025 with a cornerback group that looks pretty similar to the one they fielded a year ago, which is enough to create some anxiety in the fanbase. After all, almost everyone except Mike Hughes had a down year in 2024 under Jimmy Lake and Raheem Morris, with missed tackles and coverage busts impacting far too many games.
With a change in defensive coordinator in the offing and one high-upside addition to the group, the Falcons may have one new starter, but they’re heavily counting on healthy, bounce-back campaigns more or less across the board. With major investments up front and at safety, that trust is an eyebrow-raising decision the Falcons must turn into one we laud as smart in hindsight.
Here’s the state of the position group after the draft.
Starters
A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes
Even during a down season, Terrell was Atlanta’s best cornerback, and he’s the uncontested top option here. We’d like to see Terrell cut down on his missed tackles—some of them were brutal in 2024—and make more plays, but his coverage work is consistently good-to-great and he should be here for many years to come. I’m not worried about him, even if I know he’ll be good for a handful of very aggravating moments every year.
Hughes is holding down the job opposite Terrell for at least the start of the season and likely the entire 2025 campaign. After a mediocre 2024, Hughes proved to be a capable option outside and was arguably the team’s most reliable tackler at corner, one of its more reliable coverage options, and a well-rounded starter outside of a couple of short-term injuries and struggles when he returned. He’s not a high end option, but Hughes is a quality cornerback who is still reasonably young, and another strong year will put him in a position to hold down the job for a couple more seasons. If he struggles, the Falcons will likely be shopping for a starter next offseason.
Vying for the nickel
Dee Alford, Billy Bowman Jr., Clark Phillips, Natrone Brooks
This is a four man competition, with two of those players less likely to win and the question of whether the team goes with a veteran stopgap or a rookie.
I’ll start with the least likely, Brooks, who has done nothing but play pretty well in his limited chances to this point. A physical player who has no problem delivering big hits, Brooks has shown canny coverage instincts and would have a real shot at this in a less crowded room. If he doesn’t win the nickel job, he’s likely ticketed for the practice squad again, where he’ll be terrific insurance.
Phillips, meanwhile, has not really played nickel in the pros. The Falcons talked a good game about giving him a shot there, but re-signing Alford and drafting Bowman to play that role tells you they weren’t all that serious about him actually winning it. He’ll be in the mix, but I’d expect Phillips to be your top option outside if something happens to Terrell or Hughes.
Bowman is an exciting rookie who should have a legitimate shot at taking the job, given that he’s a ballhawk with an aggressive play style and good coverage instincts that make him a nice fit for a defense that saw lackluster coverage and few game-changing plays from nickel last year. Bowman’s history of missed tackles in college is a concern here, of course, but it’s not like anyone in this cornerback corps could tackle a year ago.
That very much includes Alford, who is back to compete and wants to rinse away the sour taste of the 2024 season. After surprising in 2022 and excelling in 2023, Alford cratered a year ago with missed tackles, coverage busts, and mistakes that the corner clearly believes were heavily influenced by Jimmy Lake’s scheme. The Falcons bringing Alford back indicates that they think he can bounce back and return to his 2023 form in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense, and he’ll be the early favorite to win the job if he can do so. If not, Alford as the backup nickel would give the Falcons a seasoned option there.
Roster hopefuls and practice squad prayers
Mike Ford Jr., Lamar Jackson, Keith Taylor, Dontae Manning, Cobee Bryant
There’s probably no room for any of these players with Alford, Bowman, Phillips, and Brooks vying, as well as Kevin King. I included King at safety—he ran there next to Jessie Bates in OTAs—but he can play corner and would make the roster as a hybrid player if he sticks.
The two with the best shot of sneaking on to the roster as Ford and Bryant. Ford offers special teams value that Marquice Williams covets, and if the Falcons keep six cornerbacks it’s possible that he bumps Brooks or maybe Alford off the roster pending the results of the nickel battle. Bryant is a player the Falcons clearly like and one who is already showing encouraging talent in OTAs, so if Atlanta fears losing him after final cuts, perhaps he pushes Alford or Brooks out himself.
Jackson, Taylor, and Manning will likely need superlative summers just to make the practice squad. There’s just a lot of competition here.