The Atlanta Falcons and the A.J. Terrell Problem
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The have backed themselves into a corner of sorts https://www.bucksfanedge.com/milwaukee-bucks-jeresy/jrue-holiday-jersey .Problem:In the 2020 NFL draft, the Falcons drafted Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell 16th overall. Even at the time, A.J. was a semi-controversial pick after his lackluster performance in the college football playoffs against the juggernaut of the LSU offense, and with him selected over star Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has gone on to cement himself as a top 5 wide receiver in the game.Terrell has not nece sarily been the problem. Hes actually had a pretty solid career so far in the A with a stat line of:61 starts247 total tackles, 183 soloFour interceptions (0 in the past two seasons)43 PBUsTerrell also has the accolade of being an AP Second-Team All-Pro in 2021.A.J.s tenure has really been alright. Not too many complaints on the surface. He doesnt mi s many games and racks up tackles and PBUs. But there are flaws in his game, and thats where the problem lies.What does A.J. do well?Terrell has the perfect frame you would expect of a CB1 in todays NFL. Coming in at 61, 195 lbs., and looks like a prototype cornerback. So there shouldnt be too many size complaints about Terrell. He looks the part. The length, frame and athleticism allow Terrell to consistently make plays like this.This AJ Terrell PBU was one of the best plays of the entire game and it was just so casual? Swatted away an absolute dime with no effort jxke. (@cantguardjake) Terrell also had established himself as a strong corner while in zone coverage with his ability to sit and read the quarterback's eyes.AJ Terrell is such a damn freak man dude shifted 3 different body positions before landing dudes just floating lmao Damski (@Damski32) Play above, drops into zone coverage, reads the route and the QB and flips the hips for the nice PBU.AJ Terrell. Beautiful. Eric Robinson (@_Eric_Robinson) Another example of him sitting, reading, flipping in for the play. If A.J. can sit with his hips to the sideline, he will read and react with the best of them in the league. Its truly impre sive.Where does A. https://www.bucksfanedge.com/milwaukee-bucks-jeresy/d-j-augustin-jersey J. struggle?Some people in this section might initially talk about Terrells lack of interceptions. And truthfully, that is a bit of a problem. But its not a ma sive deal. We do see good corners struggle with INT numbers occasionally. Former Falcon CB1 Desmond Trufant was the same way.Honestly, Terrells biggest i sue is he struggles when matching up against wide receivers who win with physicality.whew this Stafford throw to Cooper Kupp with AJ Terrell in coverage. Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) You can see it a bit here, but on the cut to the outside, Kupp separates quickly and violently creating space between Terrell and himself.Long touchdown pa ses from Baker Mayfield to Mike Evans ties the game 7 }Falcons 7 w 3:24 left in 1st qtr Steve Colis (@scolis) This route is a prime example of the biggest knock on Terrell. Mike Evans is one of the biggest and strongest receivers in the game. A.J. tries to out-muscle him on the downfield route and reroute him, which, in theory, is a good idea. The execution just goes so poorly and leads to a touchdown.Michael Thomas performance against the Falcons last season was https://www.bucksfanedge.com/milwaukee-bucks-jeresy/jordan-nwora-jersey iconic Chris Olave Stan (@WhoDatContent) Whats the problem though?The problem that the Falcons are facing isnt paying AJ Terrell. Its the fact that they lost all the leverage in the conversation. The Falcons have waited and started letting other cornerbacks get paid first, and the dominos have started falling.Other similar corners that started getting paid are Jaylon Johnson of the , LJarius Sneed of the , and most recently, Tyson Campbell from the .Johnsons contract breakdown was: 4 years, $76 million, $51 guaranteed and an average per year of $19 million.Sneed signed a contract of 4 years, $76.4 million, $51.5 million guaranteed and an average of $19.1 million per year.Campbells contract breakdown was 4 years, $76.5 million, $53.4 guaranteed, and an average per year of $19.125 million.While looking at these contracts, what makes them interesting is that Johnson is the only member of this trio who has any accolades, and that is one Pro Bowl nod. Sneed is a two-time Super Bowl winner but https://www.bucksfanedge.com/milwaukee-bucks-jeresy/matthew-dellavedova-jersey has no real individual accolades. Campbell has no individual accolades and is the highest-paid of the three.All three of these corners listed above are undisputed CB1s for their team. Similarly to AJ Terrell, and also similarly to Terrell none of them have truly become shutdown corners. At least by accolade standards. On film, opinions may vary. All three have also set themselves firmly into the current top-ten highest-paid corners, with Campbell planting himself firmly at seventh. At sixth, with an APY of $19.4 million, is a tie between Marshon Lattimore and Trevon Diggs.The Falcons have allowed themselves such little wiggle room in negotiations. Terrell and his All-Pro deserve to get paid more than Campbell and his zero accolades, but he doesnt nece sarily deserve to get paid more than Diggs or even Lattimore because their accolades are better, and they have better resumes.The Falcons have taken their feet out from under them by failing to ever truly solve the CB2 situation with Terrell here. If they decide not to pay Terrell whatever money he commands, you leave a MASSIVE hole in an already questionable secondary.But if you let Terrell reset the market at his price, youre drastically overpaying for a corner with some noticeable flaws.Regardle s of what happens with AJ Terrells contract, the Falcons have put General Manager Terry Fontenot in a https://www.bucksfanedge.com/milwaukee-bucks-jeresy/jon-mcglocklin-jersey tough negotiation with super agent David Mulugheta, who is known for getting his guys paid because it gets him paid. (He made 38 million in commi sions in 2022.)Good luck Terry. It looks like youre going to need it.Make sure to check out our every day for the best and latest Atlanta Falcons news and analysis.