Falcons Tell Milloy He Won't Be Back

On a Falcons team that was young at a whole lot of positions, safety Lawyer Milloy was one of the few old men in the starting lineup.

But when the 2009 season rolls around, Milloy will be playing elsewhere. The Falcons have told Milloy's agent that they are not planning to offer him a contract to come back.

Erik Coleman is coming back, while Thomas DeCoud, last year's third-round pick, would seem to be the best bet to get the first shot at replacing Milloy although DeCoud seems to be a better fit at free safety than strong safety.

The Falcons will likely add another safety either in free agency or in the draft to develop some competition for the job. This seems to be a deep draft for safeties, so the Falcons could get a chance to pick up a mid-round safety who can help out.

Already the Falcons have a need at linebacker, where Keith Brooking could be cut and need to add some defensive line help, so it's seeming like the Falcons are going to be putting a very heavy emphasis on defense in the draft this year.