FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons continue working to shore up their secondary. They added another veteran talent to the mix, signing cornerback Tre Flowers to a one-year deal on Monday.
The veteran joins a group that has been fortified over the last month. The Falcons signed Mike Hughes to a two-year deal. Then they traded a fifth-round pick for Jeff Okudah. Then they drafted Utah's Clark Phillips III in the fourth round.
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Now Flowers enters the mix, alongside incumbents A.J. Terrell, Dee Alford, Cornell Armstrong and Darren Hall. Casey Hayward has been removed from it after getting released just before the draft.
Flowers has experience playing with Seattle and Cincinnati. He was a starter during his first two years with the Seahawks, though he hasn't held that post regularly in three seasons now. He has four interceptions, 20 passed defense and five forced fumbles in his professional career.
Flowers visited the Falcons' training complex in late March but didn't sign a deal at that point. He's committed to Atlanta now, and will reunite with safety Jessie Bates III and secondary coach Steven Jackson after working with them in Cincinnati.
He has played some safety as well and could be of assistance there as well, but the Falcons have listed him as a cornerback.
Cornerback is as competitive a position as there is on the roster, especially after the additions recently made.
"That's what you want and that's the business we're in," head coach Arthur Smith said last Saturday, before the Flowers signing. "With those guys, let them compete and we've got to be fair about it. I think it'll bring out the best in our team and in all of our players. "
The group has experienced depth and some top talent. Terrell and Okudah are expected to start, with a battle expected for the right to play in the slot. The Falcons ran into trouble when Terrell was lost for a stint and Hayward went down and never returned, so this re-stocking should prevent those issues in 2023. It will also make for some tough roster decisions when making the 53-man roster but, as Smith said, that's a good problem to have.
