Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here belong to Matthew Tabeek and not the Atlanta Falcons, unless noted otherwise.

ATLANTA – Outside of the offensive line, no position took a bigger hit injury-wise in 2018 than the Falcons safeties. Both starting safeties – Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen – suffered season-ending injuries early in the season and the unit, frankly, never really recovered from it.

That said, the comeback stories of both Allen and Neal, have been beyond inspiring as well as a huge shot in the arm for this unit as it tries to regain the top-10 status it once owned to close out the 2017 season.

Overview

Setbacks, comebacks: As noted above, Keanu Neal suffered a torn ACL during a 18-12 season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road and Ricardo Allen tore his Achilles in 43-37 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 3. The two injuries decimated the back end of the Falcons defense. But the two players are back, and that bodes well for a defense that now has Falcons coach Dan Quinn calling the shots in 2019.

If you haven't taken a moment to watch the two-part series on each of these players yet, take a moment now and watch. Their individual journeys back are part gut-wrenching and inspiring. Grab some Kleenex, too. The two later talked about their reactions to the videos and share some behind-the-scenes stories on Falcons Audible podcast. You can listen to that one right here.

• Keanu Neal: The Setback and The Comeback
• Ricardo Allen: The Setback and The Comeback

Hidden gem: One of the bright spots to come out of the Allen and Neal injuries was the emergence of Damontae Kazee, who found himself being called upon to step into a starting role. Kazee responded by recording 80 tackles (58 solo), seven interceptions, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and 10 passes defensed. His seven interceptions tied for the most in the NFL with Chicago Bears Kyler Fuller and Miami Dolphins Xavien Howard. Kazee can play both nickel corner and safety, and that versatility is huge in Quinn's defense.

Recent history

Here are the number of safeties the Falcons have kept in previous seasons:

• 2017 initial roster: 4 safeties
• 2018 initial roster: 4 safeties

Locks

• Ricardo Allen
• Keanu Neal

On the bubble

• Sharrod Neasman
• Kemal Ishmael
• Chris Cooper
• Parker Baldwin
• Ronald Martin

Tabeek's prediction

2019 roster forecast: 4 safeties

This a tough one, mainly because I think there could be a place on this team for Chris Cooper, a player the team gave a two-year contract to back in early April. Cooper has played well during the preseason, too, recording 11 tackles in four games, including four against the Redskins last week. Against the Jets, Cooper was the Falcons' highest-graded defensive player (73.3 overall), according to Pro Football Focus. Cooper has the versatility to play both nickel corner and safety, which makes him even more valuable (see Kazee). But can he beat out Sharrod Neasman for the No. 2 spot behind Allen? I think, for now, he lands on the practice squad. Kemal Ishmael, who can also play linebacker and special teams, make this team because of that added versatility as well.

• Ricardo Allen
• Keanu Neal
• Kemal Ishmael
• Sharrod Neasman

Predicting the 53-man roster

• Aug. 26: Running backs (4)
• Aug. 26: Defensive line (10)
• Aug. 27: Cornerbacks (6)
• Aug. 27: Offensive line (9)
• Aug. 27: Tight ends (3)
• Aug. 28: Safeties (4)
• Aug. 28: Linebackers (5)
• Aug. 28: Receivers (6)
• Aug. 29: Quarterbacks (2)
• Aug. 29: Special teams (4)

Projected practice squad

There's always a chance that the Falcons could sign a player who is not currently on their roster, but if they stick with their own players, this is my projected 10-player practice squad:

• RB Tony Brooks-James
• WR Christian Blake
• DE Tre' Crawford
• DE Austin Larkin
• DE Durrant Miles
• TE Jaeden Graham
• OT Jaelin Robinson
• S Chris Cooper
• QB Danny Etling
• LB Del'Shawn Phillips

Falcons 2019 roster

• Current depth chart
• Complete team roster

What do you think?

Do you agree or disagree with Matthew Tabeek's roster predictions? Have a comment or a question you'd like to ask about the Falcons? If so, submit it here. Please remember to include your home state (or country if you live outside the U.S.). Your question could be selected to appear in Straight from the Beek. Thanks for reading.

Falcons Audible podcast

Matt Tabeek and Will McFadden weigh in with their final thoughts before roster cuts.