Atlanta Falcons: Three Positions That Still Need Help

Atlanta Falcons: Three Positions That Still Need Help by Sam Kweon

As a new head coach in Dan Quinn comes into the system, so will a new scheme and look on defense. In that new scheme, the Atlanta Falcons’ 2014 second round pick Ra’shede Hageman must have a vital role.

A second round pick isn’t meant to warm the bench, or take the field once in a while as a situational player. At the least, he has earned himself chances to prove that he can make an impact and grow as a player.

Hageman was only given 223 snaps in 2014, according to ProFootballFocus.com, and whoever made the decision to not give him more playing time was a terrible move for several reasons:

It’s obvious that he has talent and is raw, so putting Hageman on the field as much as possible would give him the experience NEEDED to grow as a rookie and simply get better

It’s not like Hageman was playing poorly on the field.

According to PFF, Hageman was better on the field than starter Tyson Jackson and wasn’t far behind on Paul Soliai, the other starter at DT. Hageman had a cumulative score of -3.4, but Jackson scored in at -3.8 and Soliai at -2.0. Fans were bashing coaches for the limited time that he was getting, and for good reason.

Ra’shede Hageman simply deserves a better and bigger role in 2015, let’s hope Dan Quinn knows it.