All of this to not even mention what's going on at receiver, where there is a chance the Falcons do end up carrying seven bodies in that position group because someone like David Sills V just can't fall off the roster. Oh, and did y'all forget Troy Andersen, too? He's on PUP right now, and if he's activated off of it he'd have to be put on the 53-man initially, even if you do stash him on injured reserve later — and who knows if that is in the cards or not. Want me to get into the ripple effects of Storm Norton's injury lingering? Nah. I've probably given you enough to chew on.
As you can see, all of this is convoluted. Complicated. And the numbers can break over and over again. What do you value? And how does that change the numbers?
"You have to be able to manage what they've done, what they bring to the table, what they know, what you know they're capable of versus the person you're watching right now, (who's) actually doing it in those positions," Raheem Morris said. "Do you value that person more or do you value them less?"
But that's the puzzle, right? A 53-piece puzzle. It's not necessarily about finding who can play, who can start — we have a very good idea who those individuals are. But its the role players, the men who find themselves churning at the tail end of a roster conversation. Injuries to key individuals have made the smooth edges of an easy to place corner piece feel jagged.
The Falcons have to decide — do they go with players who have been on this roster before? Been in this building before? Those who have shown their worth before, but whose previous standout acts have been obfuscated by recent injuries? Or do they go with players who have been fighting through the dog days of camp? Increasing their preseason snap counts every Friday for the hope that one of those snaps gets the right coach to buy in?
What do the Falcons value most when the numbers force their hand?