The Falcons have reportedly shown an interest in perhaps the NFL’s swiftest kick returner.
Broncos return specialist Trindon Holliday was slated to visit Atlanta on Saturday, Jason La Canfora of CBS reported earlier in the day.
Holliday, 27, was not tendered as a restricted free agent by Denver, leaving him free to go elsewhere. He has returned a punt and kickoff for a score in each of the last two seasons, and he returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in Denver’s divisional-round loss to Baltimore in the 2012 playoffs. Boasting rare speed, the 5-foot-5, 170-pound Holliday can spark a return game with his gifts.
However, Holliday offers most of his value on special teams; he has not been a major part of the offense in his stints with Houston or Denver. Moreover, his size limits his deployment. Finally, ball security is a major issue with Holliday. He has fumbled five times in each of the last two seasons.
Were the Falcons to sign Holliday, they would be able to take key running back Jacquizz Rodgers off of kickoffs and cornerback Robert McClain off of punts. What’s more, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Atlanta had designs on at least seeing what Holliday could do on offense. That said, Holliday’s body of work suggests he’s a special teams slugger, a player capable of both home runs and strikeouts.