Atlanta Falcons strong safety William Moore, who underwent major shoulder surgery following the 2014 season, hopes to be cleared for at least limited activity before the offseason concludes.

``When will I be back on the field? When I get cleared,'' Moore said. ``Seriously though, I don't know. I haven't the slightest idea. I hope in a few more weeks. We're still rehabbing. We're sore right now from rehab, but my body feels excellent. My weight is great. I'm at 220. I was at 230, 232.

``With this defense, we're running and hitting. I'm still going to be down in the box. I'm excited about that.''

Moore separated his right shoulder in Week 4 of last season and was placed on injured reserved with a designation to return. He then re-injured the shoulder in a December loss to the rival New Orleans Saints. Moore played in just seven games during the 2014 campaign.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn spoke about Moore's status and his role in the defense.

``Well, he looks great, I will say that,'' Quinn said. ``His weight is down. He's always been a great hitter, so I can't wait for him to get back on the field. One of the things is I want him to become a great tackler, too. The effort, the toughness that he brings, I can't wait to have him out there. But I want him at his best where he's healthy as opposed to [be] here and [have] a setback.

``For him, he's worked extremely hard in his rehab, and that's a hard thing. There's a lot of dark times in rehab where you're by yourself and you're not connected to the team. For him to work this hard and show how far he's willing to go, I'm looking forward to working with him.''

Moore had surgery in January. The timetable for recovery apparently is a six-month maximum, barring any complications.

Moore should step right back into his starting role, but there are questions about which player will line up next to him at free safety. Quinn said there are three players getting work at this position right now: veteran Charles Godfrey, Kemal Ishmael and Ricardo Allen. Quinn considered moving cornerback Robert Alford to free safety but changed his mind after watching Alford perform at corner.

The Falcons tried to claim waived safety D.J. Swearinger, who was claimed by Tampa Bay instead.

As of right now, it looks like Godfrey is on pace to start next to Moore. No one should count out Ishmael, however, after he led the team with four interceptions last season.

``I love Kemal's play,'' Moore said. ``He's a young safety, and he brings a lot to the defense. He brings exactly what we're looking for: He's physical, and he's fast. I look forward to watching Kemal grow. Atlanta going to have a heck of a player in him.''

Moore talked, in general terms, about Quinn's defense.

``It's physical, man,'' he said. ``He uses your athleticism. He doesn't make you think much. The playbook is real small. He's a defensive-minded head coach. Right now, I think it's all about the defense because the offense is proven.''

Moore is likely to watch from the sideline when the Falcons begin organized team activities on May 26. He has no doubts about being fully healthy for training camp.