As the 2013 season begins to come to a disappointing end for the Atlanta Falcons, focus begins to shift towards the 2014 season and offseason moves. The Falcons built a very impressive roster on short contracts, but after getting hit hard with injuries, it proved unsuccessful. Now as they enter a rebuilding year, there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding some of the veterans.
One of the bright spots in the 2013 season of the Falcons was the emergence of several promising rookie talents. In the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Atlanta drafted cornerback Robert Alford who picked up on the schemes very quickly. In Week 14, long-time veteran Asante Samuel was benched in favor of the rookie and could find his spot on the team gone because of the young talent.
Samuel remains a starter on the team depth chart, but the Falcons have said they will use the final three games to look at depth on the roster in preparation for the 2014 season. That means Alford could see a start in Week 15 against the Washington Redskins. Samuel sees the writing on the wall. When asked about his status with the Falcons moving forward, he simply responded, "We'll see how it goes. I don't know."
Samuel has been in and out of the lineup all season after suffering several injuries. He has been dealing with lingering thigh issues that forced him to miss two full games and parts of others. At 32-years-old, Samuel's injury issues are not likely to improve, making his future very unclear especially with young and talent rookies biting from behind.
"Asante has been around a long time," Alford said, via ESPN.com. "I used to watch him when he was first into the NFL when he was with New England. So just having advice from him and knowing that he's a future Hall of Famer and a [four-time] Pro Bowler, that's something that I want to be. And I think he really helps me out a lot."
Samuel's salary will also play a large factor in his future. The cornerback is a $5.125 salary cap hit next season as he enters the final year of his contract. Alford and fellow rookie cornerback Desmond Trufant combine to be a $2.628 salary cap hit. The Falcons may opt to go with the cheap young guns over the expensive veteran.
"[Samuel] is a vet," linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said, via the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "He's being doing this a long time. He's going to get a yellow [Hall of Fame] jacket. He's got a lot of money. He's getting more money. And he's trying to help the younger guys."
The youth movement is likely going to take over for the Flacons, especially on defense, leaving several veterans out of the picture. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is excited about where the team is at as far as depth and sees a bright future ahead.
"It's not always necessarily 'take somebody's job.' A lot of times, it's just to see so you can develop them," Nolan said. "You'd like to be developing guys when you get ahead by a few touchdowns. But when you get late in the season, you want to come out of it learning more about your people. Because as we all know, we're not playing for a playoff spot anymore."