WATCH: Desperate for defensive spark, Falcons should again explore signing Eric Berry
Johnathan Cyprien's impact with the Atlanta Falcons was always probably going to be a minimum one. Because of an injury, that will come to fruition.
The Falcons placed Cyprien on injured reserve Tuesday, which means since the summer, Atlanta has lost starting safety Keanu Neal, backup safety J.J. Wilcox and desperation plan safety Cyprien. It's back to the drawing board for one of the league's worst secondaries.
As the cliche goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. In dire need of a defensive spark, could the Falcons now more seriously consider veteran free agent safety Eric Berry?
We discussed Berry's value on the open market a few weeks ago and speculated that because he hasn't even received visit invitations, he might be dealing with another injury or asking for too much money. If either are the case, then this discussion is basically a moot point.
However, one cannot overstate how badly this team needs a lift defensively. A leader, playmaker, pass rusher -- anything. Berry might not be the playmaker he once was, but it's hard to image he will make the Falcons pass coverage worse.
And it's not as if the Falcons don't have the opening. In the summer, I was against bringing Berry on board as a backup because he would overshadow the regular starting safeties. But Berry would probably start on Day 1 for Atlanta, seeing as though Cyprien played about one-third Atlanta's snaps on Sunday at Houston.
Whether Berry is the answer or not, one thing is for sure, the Falcons can't expect to keep the status quo on defense and win even against rookie quarterback Kyler Murray this Sunday.
