FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — At one of the final practices during organized team activities, safety Thomas DeCoud broke free on a blitz.
Had this been a game, the second-year player would have an easy — and potentially turnover-causing — quarterback sack. Instead he settled for cheers and applause from his defensive teammates, who welcomed the play as a momentum-changer during a competition against the offense.
On the next play, DeCoud was back patrolling the middle of the field in the style of any NFL free safety.
But that’s just a glimpse of the versatility he wants to show Falcons coaches in the midst of re-tooling the team’s defense.
“You have to look at what you can do as a player,” DeCoud said. “I feel I am that hybrid safety: play in the box, play against the run and play center field, get off the hashes and make plays. I feel like I have those skill sets.”
Unlike some rookies from the team’s 2008 Draft class, DeCoud was not asked to start from the early days of his career.
The third-round pick was inactive for five games and played primarily on special teams last season. He recorded three special teams stops in the team’s playoff loss at Arizona.
Waiting for an opportunity is nothing new for the 197-pound defensive back, however.
Before his senior season at Cal, DeCoud had started just four games. But, in 2007, he started 12 of 13 contests and recorded a team-high 116 tackles (one sack and one interception).
Through the first round of offseason practices in Flowery Branch, DeCoud got work with the first-team defense.
“He’s a much-improved player right now playing with much more confidence,” defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said. “For rookies coming into the league there’s a process involved. He went through that process a year ago and over time he got better. I’ve seen the same improvement as we’ve been in OTAs.”
But DeCoud isn’t simply inheriting a job in the secondary.
The Falcons drafted Missouri safety William Moore in the second round. The team also returns 2008 starter Erik Coleman, Antoine Harris, Jamaal Fudge and Eric Brock at the position.
“I think we’re young but we’re a very talented secondary,” Coleman said. “Everybody can cover; everybody can come up and hit.”
What started as a position of need has turned into one of the Falcons deepest roster spots.
For DeCoud, that comes with competition and the need for flexibility.
“This is where I wanted to be,” DeCoud said. “This is where I expected to be as a player, working into a starting position. Being a drafted player you want to come in and start and contribute to the team but last year I had to take a backup role. This is my year to step up, be that starting safety and be a leader.”
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