Dontari Poe rumors: Falcons, Colts, Raiders among free agent suitors
By Matt Conner
Atlanta Falcons
Why it would work: Dontari Poe is scheduled to visit the Falcons sometime very soon, which means they are on the clock and have the upper hand during that specific time frame. Poe fits team needs along the defensive line after the team will release Tyson Jackson. Jonathan Babineaux is also a free agent. The Falcons need to strengthen the middle and Poe could definitely help them do that by adding a young defensive tackle to an already young front seven that will grow together in the years to come following a Super Bowl run.
That last phrase will also be important to Poe. As much promise as the Chiefs have had in the last two seasons, they’ve never even reached the conference championship. It has to be important to Poe, as it would any player, that the Falcons have been there and done that. Reaching the Super Bowl is not a dream for the Falcons. It’s a lived-out reality that they will once again try to achieve starting in a few months. That language may hit Poe where it matters most.
Most importantly, Scott Pioli works for the Falcons front office and is the very man who drafted Poe in the first place. While Poe had earned considerable acclaim for his incredible athleticism and NFL Combine appearance, the reality is that no other team wanted to take a flyer on the Memphis product before Pioli did at No. 11, and even then it was termed a considerable risk. Pioli knows Poe very well and he might be the vocal factor loud enough in Thomas Dimitroff’s office to move them forward.
Why it would wouldn’t work: Pioli is not in charge, which means Dimitroff and others have to be convinced of Poe’s ability to impact the line going forward. If the Colts, Chiefs and Jaguars have let visits happen without offering anything concrete, will Atlanta find that they also have doubts? Are Poe’s back issues worse than anyone will admit? Has he logged too many snaps in his short NFL career? It’s impossible to know.
Odds: 3-1