After bringing him in for a workout yesterday, the Falcons have agreed to sign veteran safety Dashon Goldson, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it is a “done deal.” Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it would be a surprise if it were anything other than a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.
We learned several days ago that promising rookie safety Keanu Neal is expected to miss three to four weeks with a knee injury, which sent Atlanta in search of a free agent reinforcement like Goldson. As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes, however, Goldson will have to content himself with a reserve role upon Neal’s return. Per McClure, Neal will be the starting strong safety upon his return, and Kemal Ishmael will serve as his backup once Ishmael returns from his shoulder injury (Ishmael is expected to return to practice this afternoon on a limited basis).
After having played for the 49ers for six seasons, Goldson has bounced around a bit recently. The 31-year-old has played for three teams over the past four seasons, but he’s only missed six games during that span. The veteran actually had one of his most productive seasons in 2015 with the Redskins, compiling a career-high 110 tackles, although Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Goldson as the fourth-worst safety out of 89 qualified players. The two-time Pro Bowler has averaged nearly two interceptions and one forced fumble per season throughout his nine-year career. Goldson was released by Washington in March, and he garnered some interest from the Rams.
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