Five decades ago, Washington made the Super Bowl by compiling a roster that was coined as the "Over the Hill Gang." The modern day Falcons, based on their recent roster acquisitions, are apparently trying to mimic George Allen's old plan.
The Falcons, after already adding several veterans in free agency, added to their tally on Monday by signing veteran cornerback Tre Flowers. Flowers joins a revamped Atlanta secondary that includes fellow newcomers Mike Hughes, Jeff Okudah and rookie Clark Phillips III. The Falcons' secondary also has several returning players, including A.J. Terrell, Dee Alford, Cornell Armstrong and Darren Hall.
In Atlanta, Flowers will reunite with fellow former Bengal Jessie Bates III, who earlier this offseason became one of the NFL's highest-paid safeties upon signing with the Falcons. The duo spent the past year-plus in Cincinnati while helping the Bengals capture back-to-back AFC North titles over that span.
A 2018 fifth-round pick, Flowers broke into the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. An immediate starter in Seattle, Flowers picked off a career-high three passes in 2019 while helping the Seahawks clinch a playoff berth. He received just seven starts in 2020, however, and was waived during the 2021 season.
Flowers wasn't without work for long, however. He was claimed off waivers two days later by the Bengals, who were in the middle of a season that ended with a trip to the Super Bowl. Along with being a backup defender, Flowers was also a mainstay on the Bengals' special teams units.
Along with their secondary, the Falcons added veterans to the other layers of their defense. They signed former Steelers pass rusher Bud Dupree and former Ravens Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell, who chose to sign with Atlanta over the New York Jets.
Atlanta's roster overhaul has also included the additions of rookies Matthew Bergeron and Bijan Robinson. Bergeron is expected to be the team's new starting left guard, while Robinson is slated to spearhead a Falcons rushing attack that also includes Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson.
The Falcons are hoping that their new faces can help them win what appears to be a wide open NFC South. Atlanta hasn't made the playoffs since 2017, a year after coming up just short of winning the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy.