The first week of NFL Free Agency has been a rousing success for the Atlanta Falcons, but they lost cornerback Isaiah Oliver to the San Francisco 49ers according to reports on Wednesday.
“49ers agreed to terms with CB Isaiah Oliver, source says,” reported Mike Garafolo on Twitter. “The 2018 Falcons second-round pick heads to Santa Clara after five years in Atlanta.”
Oliver had an up and down career with the Atlanta Falcons. He struggled his first-three seasons in Atlanta before finding a home as the nickelback in Dean Pees’ defense in 2021.
It didn’t last long.
Oliver suffered a season-ending knee injury Week 4 against the Commanders and didn’t return to the Falcons lineup until Week 6 last season.
Oliver took some time to get back to his 2021 form, but by the end of the season he was playing well again in the slot for Atlanta.
He had a season-high 91.6 grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) in Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals and finished the season with a respectable 77.9 grade.
Cornerback becomes an even bigger need for the Falcons through the rest of the offseason. Veteran Casey Hayward should return from injury, but Atlanta has just A.J. Terrell, Darren Hall, and Hayward on the roster who played more than 250 snaps last year.
They’ll need upgrades in the defensive backfield to go with newly-acquired safety Jessie Bates.
Atlanta could use their No. 8 pick for a long-term running mate for Terrell. Christian Gonzalez of Oregon has been a popular choice for mock drafts if the Falcons don’t see a pass rusher that they like at No. 8.
Devon Witherspoon and Joey Porter Jr. of Illinois and Penn State respectively are also players to watch.
Oliver had become a productive player when healthy, and he’ll be missed in the Falcons secondary. Atlanta has the resources with both draft picks and salary-cap space to upgrade at cornerback.
It will be interesting to see what they do over the course of the next two months.
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