Falcons Overhaul Special Teams for 2023

0:00On March 23rd, the Atlanta Falcons had one of the weakest special teams units in the league last season. They missed more field goals than all but two teams, ranked near the bottom and punt and kick return yards, and struggled with coverage too, that contributed to an 8-9 record, despite tying for first in the NFC South. This offseason, the team made big changes to turn things around. They parted ways with special teams coordinator, Marquis Williams, and brought in Craig Ackerman, who ran the dolphins unit last year. They also signed reliable kicker Nick Folk, who topped the NFL and field goal percentage for the past three seasons at 96.6%. Those issues hurt the Falcons in close games, with gaps deciding several outcomes and messing up clock management. Owner Arthur Blank let Williams explore other jobs during the coaching search, and he ended up with the Raiders. The revolving door at Kicker 3 guys last year forced shorter punts in added pressure. For puncing, they replaced Bradley Pinyon with former all-project Bailey, aiming to boost average pun yards, which ranked sixth the worst.

1:05The return game meets work too, after cutting Jamal Agnew and losing Gunner, Catarel Hodg. New Widersy for Jahan Dotson could help there, with his college record as Penn State's top punt returner and some NFL tries last season. If these moves click, special teams might become a real asset heading into training camp. Football News, powered by AI. This is NFL News Today.