It sounds like Damontae Kazee‘s stint in Atlanta has come to an end. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the safety isn’t expected to re-sign with the Falcons.
Fortunately, the 27-year-old has recovered from the torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered during Week 4 of this past season. Rapoport notes that Kazee is expected to be cleared by training camp, meaning he’ll have plenty of time to acclimate with his new squad.
The 2017 fifth-round has spent his entire career with the Falcons. He had a standout campaign during the 2018 season, compiling 82 tackles, 10 passes defended, and a league-leading seven interceptions in 16 games (15 starts), and he collected another three interceptions in 16 games (14 starts) during the 2019 season. Prior to his season-ending injury this past year, Kazee had compiled 20 tackles and one pass defended.
The Falcons’ secondary is going to look a bit different in 2021. The team already cut Ricardo Allen, and Keanu Neal could end up skipping town via free agency. The organization is currently rostering only a pair of safeties in Jaylinn Hawkins and T.J. Green.
this is a dang shame cuz he’s been a ball hawk from day 1…gonna miss him smh!
He was definitely better than Allen. Allen and Alford were two of the worst secondary starters I had ever seen, and with out of the picture I thought Atlanta could feature Kazee more along with their new picks at corner in this year’s draft. Of course Alford has been gone for over a year now, but Atlanta still needs another corner. Had they kept Kazee, they likely only would have needed to address that position this year instead of addressing both.
I’m not sure who they’d pursue in free agency that would be a clear upgrade, so they’ll have to spend a draft pick in a year where they need a lot of new players. Granted, Kazee was very inconsistent at times with penalties (that were then sometimes followed by good plays), but he could have started at least for this year. Not to mention Neal’s departure (which I expected) leaves a hole at strong safety, so both spots will need addressing. I thought they’d lean on Kazee at least for a year while addressing their other areas of need.
Dallas?