The Falcons used their franchise tag on cornerback Brent Grimes and they’re moving right along to the rest of the defense.
The team announced Tuesday that they have reached an agreement on a new contract with free safety Thomas DeCoud, who was set to become a free agent on March 13th. There are no details on the financial terms or length of the deal as yet.
DeCoud drew some criticism for his play against the run in 2011, although he did finish the year with 86 tackles and four interceptions. He’s been a starter for the last three years and played well against the pass toward the end of the regular season. With safeties like Tyvon Branch, Dashon Goldson and Michael Griffin taken off the market via franchise tags, there aren’t too many free agent choices hitting the market that look like an upgrade over DeCoud.
The Falcons are also thought to be close to reupping with defensive end Kroy Biermann as they work to keep their defensive pieces in place for new coordinator Mike Nolan. The big question left for the Falcons is whether or not they will retain defensive end John Abraham and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. Abraham looks likely to leave while the outlook for Lofton is murkier.