As everyone knows, the Atlanta Falcons will have their summer training camp coming in the very near future. Heading into the 2024 regular season, many feel the team may not have a clear-cut starter at cornerback next to A.J. Terrell.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Falcons held the 16th overall pick. With that pick, the team would select cornerback A.J. Terrell out of Clemson University. Since coming into the league, Terrell has been the team's CB1 with no hesitation from Atlanta. In 61 games in his NFL career, Terrell has achieved 247 total tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 43 passes deflected. While Terrell may not necessarily be a “ball-hawk”, a recent article from PFF had Terrell listed as the “most physical cornerback” in the NFL in 2023. Terrell forced an incompletion on 20.6% of targets while allowing a 32.4% completion percentage.
A.J. Terrell will reprise his role as CB1 in 2024, but there is no locked-in CB2, however. With all of that in mind, we will look at two players who have a great chance at the job and two players who may need an unbelievable training camp performance to earn the job opposite A.J. Terrell.
Clark Phillips III
The most likely option to start alongside A.J. Terrell is second-year cornerback Clark Phillips III. Phillips heard his name called in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, landing with the Atlanta Falcons. During Phillips’ time in college at the University of Utah, he had spent the majority on the outside but played a good amount as a nickel cornerback. Phillips stands at 5’10” and some have had concerns with his height, but Phillips does not let the noise get to him, as he continues to make the most of his opportunities when they come his way. In his rookie year, for example, he saw his role slowly expand as the season went on, from being initially listed as the third option at the nickel position, behind fellow cornerbacks Dee Alford and Mike Hughes, to ending the season as a starter. In Week 14 against division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Phillips made his first start, due to Jeff Okudah’s ankle injury. Phillips would end up having his best game of the season, leading to him closing the season as a starter, pushing Okudah to the bench. Phillips finished his rookie season with 27 total tackles and five passes deflected. Phillips has an opportunity to start the 2024 season where he left off in 2023: In the starting lineup.
Mike Hughes
A player that can contest Clark Phillips is seventh-year veteran Mike Hughes. Last offseason, Hughes made his way to Atlanta, signing a two-year, $7,000,000 contract with the team. Hughes was a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, spending just three seasons with them before one season with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one season with the Detroit Lions. Hughes has made only 22 starts across his career in the NFL, playing a total of 72 games. In his first season in Atlanta, Hughes saw work in the return game on special teams while being positioned as a nickel corner. Hughes closed the 2023 season by seemingly taking over the nickel position from Dee Alford. In the return game, Hughes fielded 11 punts for 67 yards and three kicks for 46 yards. When he saw the field in the secondary, he recorded 21 tackles and two tackles-for-loss. With Hughes ready to enter his seventh year in the league this upcoming season, he could provide some veteran experience to the starting lineup, beating out Clark Phillips III for the starting role and earning his place in the secondary.
Atlanta brought in a handful of cornerbacks this offseason. Kevin King, formerly with the Green Bay Packers and Antonio Hamilton Sr., formerly with the Arizona Cardinals. King signed a one-year, $1,125,000 contract while Hamilton signed a one-year, $1,377,500 contract. King has not seen the field since 2021, sitting out in 2022 for personal reasons and missing 2023 due to suffering a torn Achilles during a workout in the offseason. In his most recent season in 2021, King saw 29 total tackles with one interception. Hamilton, however, played most recently in 2023. In the 14 games he appeared in, Hamilton had 36 total tackles and one interception. While both new additions may not stand out as a Week 1 starter right now, both could impress the new coaching staff in Atlanta and have training camp performances that the team cannot ignore.
The cornerback battle in training camp may ultimately come down to Clark Phillips III and Mike Hughes. With this information, it is important to note that both players have been splitting the role during off-season workouts so far. Back in May, Hughes participated as the second outside cornerback with the first team during workouts. In the weeks following, Phillips would get his reps in that same position. Phillips and Hughes both know what is at stake, but both players don’t see this as a heated battle. They just want to win games and help the team however and wherever they can.
When Raheem Morris was hired as the team’s new head coach in late January, he started to assemble his staff. Part of Morris’ staff included former Washington Huskies defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, Jimmy Lake. Before being hired as the Falcons' new defensive coordinator, Lake coached for Washington and a handful of other teams, specializing in coaching defensive backs, and being called a defensive backs guru. With that said, Lake could bring out the best in this secondary this upcoming season, not only in A.J. Terrell but both Phillips and Hughes as well.
So who gets the job alongside A.J. Terrell after all? Stay tuned for training camp to see an answer come to fruition.
