Part of the reason that Dan Quinn is the new head coach of the Falcons is that the team’s defense has been one of the worst in the league over the last two seasons.
One of the reasons for that has been the infrequent presence of linebacker Sean Weatherspoon in the lineup. Foot and knee injuries limited him to seven games in 2013 and a torn Achilles last June knocked him out for the entire 2014 season. A history like that would make it hard for some teams to count too heavily on Weatherspoon in the future, but General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said Tuesday that the Falcons see the impending free agent as a vital member of the defense.
“Sean Weatherspoon is going to be an important part of building this defense and building this team. He has that side of him and that leadership that we need across the board,” Dimitroff said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s a guy that’s really, really focused on his rehab. We need him back in this organization to help us go to another level. He’s starting to move around.”
The good news for the Falcons is that Weatherspoon’s injuries aren’t likely to make him a prized commodity on the open market so they shouldn’t have to get into a bidding war to hold onto his services.