The Atlanta Falcons will work out veteran safety Dashon Goldson on Saturday in the aftermath of 2016 first-round pick Keanu Neal’s knee injury on Thursday.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Atlanta Falcons have scheduled a workout for veteran free agent safety Dashon Goldson on Saturday.
The move comes on the heels of losing first round pick Keanu Neal to a knee injury in the team’s preseason game on Thursday night. Neal is expected to miss 3-5 weeks.
Atlanta probably reached to draft Neal out of Florida at No. 17, but the Falcons were already incredibly thin, to begin with in the secondary. The Falcons cut long-time starting strong safety William Moore this offseason.
Free Agent safety Dashon Goldson is working out for the #Falcons tomorrow, source said. Makes sense with the Keanu Neal injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2016
Many thought the fan favorite would be on the short list to step up for the injured Neal, but it doesn’t look to be the case. Goldson, 31, is past his prime as an NFL defensive back but was an All-Pro with the 2011-12 San Francisco 49ers.
Being able to sign a veteran defensive back is a great situation for the Falcons to be in. He can come in and help elevate the play of Atlanta’s lackluster secondary in September. Atlanta does have an elite cornerback in Pro Bowler Desmond Trufant, but the secondary is a long way away from The Legion of Boom Dan Quinn had as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator.
Next: Every NFL Team's Best Draft Pick Of All-Time
While Atlanta doesn’t have the luxury of being picky in finding a short-term replacement for Neal, it does seem that the Falcons have some options at strong safety and they are making a pragmatic move in vetting Goldson during Saturday’s workout.