Atlanta Falcons: Looking at Jacob Tamme, Tony Moeaki

Before free agency opened up, I thought the Atlanta Falcons would be an excellent landing spot for former Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron, but it appears that I didn’t understand that there’s apparently bad blood between current Falcons and former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Cameron. The Falcons-Cameron match seemed to make too much sense on paper, so the most logical explanation seems to be the fact that both of those guys didn’t get along in Cleveland.

In any case, Cameron is now Charles Clay‘s replacement with the Miami Dolphins, the Browns are still looking for a TE (perhaps Rob Housler, who received interest from the Falcons), and the Falcons have two new TEs with differing skill-sets in Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki.

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Tamme always seemed like a likely addition for the Falcons, and he chose them over the Denver Broncos, who wanted to keep the two-way veteran TE with his buddy Peyton Manning. Instead, Tamme will join forces with Matt Ryan, and, ideally, he’ll end up being a backup with the Falcons who can move the chains in a pinch and block.

Ryan has shown that he works best with a “move” tight end, and the Falcons also added that type of a player in Moeaki, who was once one of the league’s more promising players at the position. Back in 2010 as a rookie, he caught 47 passes for over 550 yards and three touchdowns, and he followed that up with 13.8 yards per reception two years later after missing the 2011 season. Since then, he’s been arguably the NFL’s most injury-prone player, with his eight receptions last season for the Seattle Seahawks being his only contributions since leaving the Kansas City Chiefs after 2012.

Moeaki’s movement from the Seahawks to the Falcons has to be purely coincidental and most likely doesn’t have anything to do with Dan Quinn, and, sadly, he most likely won’t be able to produce on the field for the Falcons. Given Moeaki’s versatility and past ability, he’s always worth a flier, and it’s telling that a team like the Seahawks decided he was worth rostering and playing a little bit.

The problem is that the Atlanta Falcons- or any team, for that matter- can’t expect anything from him, since he’s so injury-prone that he’s always immediately on the roster bubble whenever he signs. But the Falcons need TE help so badly that if Moeaki can somehow stay heathy, then he could be a nice upgrade.

Tamme has no major injury history and has a couple of 50+ reception seasons on his resume, so he’s the typical, consistent No. 2 TE with blocking ability. He’s a big help to a team that literally had nothing at the position last season, as Levine Toilolo was absolutely horrible as a pass-catcher and is a significantly worse run blocker than Tamme.

Signing any relevant tight end would have proven to be an upgrade for the Falcons, so, in that respect, both Tamme an Moeaki are solid signings. They needed something, and they added a steady No. 2 and a boom-or-bust “move” guy who can be an asset if he’s ever healthy.

The Falcons biggest needs are clearly on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s been the case for quite some time. Even so, Roddy White is getting older and Harry Douglas is gone, so they can’t gloss over fortifying Ryan’s stockpile of weapons, which, after Julio Jones, isn’t as robust as some think. White and Devin Hester are quality players, but the Falcons really did miss Tony Gonzalez last season, mostly because Toilolo was such a huge downgrade.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Tony Moeaki (88) against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There are a lot of things for the Falcons to weigh here, such as Toilolo’s future contributions after his nightmarish sophomore season in the NFL, but it’s clear to me that this team still needs to draft somebody.

Moeaki is a total wild card, Tamme isn’t good enough to start for a high-powered offense, and Toilolo can’t be considered an asset to the Falcons. They should strongly consider burning a mid-round pick on a high-upside pass-catching TE, since they already have a blocker who can be a safety valve in Tamme.

Maybe Moeaki can be that quality pass-catcher at tight end for the Falcons, but he’s too injury-prone to count on outside of being an upside flier. Of course, since Moeaki is set to be 28 when the season starts and has so many injuries over the course of his career, his upside wouldn’t be as high as a rookie’s either.

With so little legitimate options available, I actually like what the Falcons did at the tight end position, since adding these two veterans can at least make it a salvageable unit for Ryan next season if this team can’t draft a rookie.If they can find a sleeper TE, then they will be that much stronger at the position, especially since Moeaki is no lock to make the roster.

Next: Falcons Seven-Round Mock

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