The Falcons offensive line isn't the only roster position that is being rotated with players as the franchise searches for the right mix of players to deploy during the season. The cornerback position has a lot of depth, but the exact order of the trio at the top of the CB depth chart as yet to be determined.
Brent Grimes, Dunta Robinson and Asante Samuel are all available to the Falcons and throughout the preseason so far, the coaching staff has mixed and matched the three players. Robinson has spent the most time at the slot position with Grimes and Samuel playing on the outside, but when just two corners are on the field, the two that will be out there is still unclear.
Grimes and Samuel have also been rotated to the inside and Falcons head coach Mike Smith thinks that allows the defense the freedom to show a variety of different looks, one of the goals of new coordinator Mike Nolan. But Smith isn't ready to say exactly who will be where on a full-time basis.
"That's something that is an ongoing discussion," Smith said last week. "As we work closer to the start of the regular season we'll be making that decision. I think it's to our advantage to keep that in-house in terms of how we want to deploy our corners. We've got three very good corners."
Samuel, an offseason addition via trade with Philadelphia, has spent his entire career playing the left cornerback position, but he's comfortable with the current open-competition and knows the coaches will make the right decisions for the entire team. The four-time Pro Bowler is open to playing anywhere that he's asked to and is spending this preseason getting comfortable at all three cornerback positions.
"All my production came from the left," Samuel said on Sunday. "It's going good. It's a new thing for me, switching back and forth. I'm trying to get my mojo right, get my game plan together switching back and forth, but the coaches are going to do what they think is best."
The three of them appear to work well together and are comfortable in a competitive situation with each other.
"We understand we have to go out here and compete," Robinson said. "We're all very accomplished players so no egos are involved. We're just doing what it takes to help the team win. The rotation we don't have a problem with. We're just going out there and trying to make plays. When our number is called we're going to go out there and do everything we can to make this team successful."
