Atlanta Falcons free agency 2020: Top 5 targets

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 10: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates after a touchdown pass to Austin Hooper #81 against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes Benz Superdome on November 10, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

2. Ronald Darby

Ronald Darby is a cornerback who was once a terrific player, but who struggled for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. He dealt with injuries and was coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2018 season. It looked like he was a different player than his earlier version.

Injuries are kind of the story of Darby’s career since being taken in the second round out of Florida State five years ago. He’s never played a full 16-game season with Philadelphia, and actually hasn’t played more than 11 in the past three years. These aren’t fluke injuries. This can be the thing that derails his career.

Yet, he’s still very much worth the risk for the Falcons. They need serious help a cornerback, and they don’t have a lot of money to make it work. They could very well use their first-round pick to draft a cornerback, but they won’t be ready to dominate from the jump. Darby could fill that gap while trying to recapture his value.

Darby is not going to cost much at all. His injury concerns are going to scare some teams away, and his bad season last year will scare a lot of others. However, he was on his way to being a really good player when injuries took him out. He’s 26 years old, so there’s a little time to make up for the lost seasons. No better opportunity than to do it in Atlanta.

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