Getty A former 49ers' safety is the perfect free-agent fit for the Falcons.
Safety remains a position of some uncertainty for the Atlanta Falcons. Last season’s starters, Duron Harmon and Erik Harris, are set to be replaced by Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins.
The latter pair are unproven, with just three seasons of experience between them. It means the Falcons would be wise to add an established veteran to the depth chart.
Fortunately, the remnants of 2022’s free-agent market contain one obvious candidate. He’s a prolific tackler who’s played in a Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers, and he’s been described by two NFL writers as “arguably the top safety left on the market.”
ALL the latest Falcons news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Falcons newsletter here!
49ers’ Starter Perfect for Falcons
When putting together a free-agency mock draft for 20 teams and the best remaining players available, Nicholas McGee and Cyril Penn of The 33rd Team sent Jaquiski Tartt to the Falcons.
McGee and Penn summed up why Tarrt should still be coveted by safety-needy teams: “Tartt may be most recently remembered for his key dropped interception in last season’s NFC Championship Game, yet he is arguably the top safety left on the market and offers the versatility to play down in the box and in the deep middle.”
Tartt’s drop of a seemingly sure interception of a pass from Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford cost the Niners a return to the Super Bowl. San Fran were in the big game after the 2019 season, losing 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs, when Tartt made five tackles, including one for a loss and sacked Patrick Mahomes, ultimately in vain.
Those numbers underlined the attack-minded way Tartt plays the game. He’s never been shy about working close to the line of scrimmage and steeping up to deliver a hit or be the force player in run support.
Tartt is still one of the more active safeties against the run in the league, per PFF’s Jon Macri:
Yet, Tartt is far from a one-dimensional, box safety. Instead, he’s also well-rounded enough to be an asset in coverage.
His numbers against the pass are some of the best in football, according to PFF IND Colts:
While McGee and Penn acknowledged Tartt’s more aggressive qualities, they also tacked on an interesting note about his specific fit with the Falcons: “An aggressive defender who loves to attack downhill with physicality, Tartt can also be a weapon as a blitzer, making him a natural fit for a defensive coordinator as aggressive as Dean Pees.”
Tartt a Fit for Complex Scheme
On first viewing, the phrase “a defensive coordinator as aggressive as Dean Pees” is jarring. It’s tough to call a play-caller aggressive when he oversaw a defense that logged a league-low 18 sacks in 2021.
In fairness to Pees, that paltry number owed more to lack of quality edge-rushers than any caution in his scheme. The 72-year-old promised his defense would blitz from anywhere when he took over in 2021: “Every position will blitz. Every position. Not just the safeties. Not just the linebackers. It’s corners. It’s everybody.”
There were signs last season of the multiple and sophisticated brand of pressure Pees likes to call. After a 29-21 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 14, J.P. Acosta of Football Outsiders dubbed Pees “one of the better defensive masterminds at generating pressure for the greater part of a decade.”
Acosta described how “Pees took advantage of a terrible Panthers offensive line with rushers from depth as well as creative loopers on designed pass rush games” in a matchup that featured a pick-six of Cam Newton.
Mykal Walker looked like the primary target on that throw. Pick six for the Falcons 2 straight weeks!
Tartt would be an asset for a coordinator as creative as Pees. There’s every chance the player will remain available, with NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco pointing out that “before the 49ers would even consider bringing back Tartt on a one-year contract, they might want to see how some of the younger players look in his spot.”
One of those younger players, second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga, has been described as “noticeably bigger and faster than the year before” by Sports Illustrated‘s Grant Cohn.
The 49ers may no longer have room for Tartt, but he’d been an excellent fit for a Falcons defense lacking a proven commodity on the back end.