Xavier Watts or Jordan Fuller, Atlanta Falcons Battle at Safety

Free safety looks like a fun battle during Atlanta Falcons training camp, where a rookie will challenge a free agent signing.

Jordan Fuller signed a one-year, $1.34 million deal with just $80,000 guaranteed. With so little money guaranteed, there’s no guarantee he has a roster spot when final cuts come at the end of August.

Meanwhile, not content with just Fuller and DeMarcco Hellams returning from injury, the team drafted Xavier Watts, the former Notre Dame safety and Bronco Nagursky winner, with the 96th overall pick of this spring's draft.

So, now that we know the prospective starters, who should get the job, starting opposite Jessie Bates III at safety?

Fuller, the 27-year-old veteran defender, started 55 games during his stints between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers. He's enjoyed playing at least 90% of the defensive snaps every year but 2022.

His experience could go a long way in deciding the winner of the job, due to the fact that he's already accustomed to the pace and speed of the NFL game. He began training camp lining up next to Bates, presumably because of that experience.

With sound hands, he's made quite a few big plays in the passing game. Seven interceptions and 18 deflected passes tell one tale, but here's where the job could eventually slip right out of his hands. Fuller doesn't cover like you'd expect a defensive back should, allowing far too many plays with little resistance when quarterbacks throw the ball at him.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Fuller had a 47.0 pass defense grade and gave up 80% completions in nine games with the Panthers last season.

For comparison’s sake, the departed Justin Simmons was deemed a disappointment with the Falcons last season. However, he had a 60.8 coverage grade and 59.8% completion against. Of course, 60.8 was the second-worst grade of Simmons’s career, and his lowest since 2018.

Taking a look at Watts, he’s not considered an elite athlete. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is a 5.79 out of 10. James Pearce Jr. is a 9.4 for comparison’s sake.

That doesn't mean he doesn't have the potential to evolve into a standout safety. Whereas other safeties can rely on speed to compensate in coverage, Watts showed an innate ability and instincts to find the ball.

Like a sixth sense, the former Notre Dame standout just knows where the ball will go. Call it spatial recognition, timing, presence, or whatever buzzphrase you wish. He makes the sound plays, processing quicker than many players you see of his age.

The Falcons employ a former safety as their head coach. Raheem Morris definitely knows what he wants from a safety. In Fuller, he has a veteran who knows the game. Yet, he struggles in coverage and practically invites quarterbacks to throw at him.

On the other hand, Watts, from an intangible and ball skills viewpoint, looks like the easy choice. However, does his 4.56 40 time prevent him from starting?

No.

But his lack of experience might give Fuller the chance to start on Week 1. However, the Falcons are hoping to hand the reins to Watts by October to form a ball-hawking pair of safeties that can benefit from the heavy investments in the pass rush.