Falcons place Ricardo Allen on IR Youth Andy Levitre Jersey , sign LB Bruce Carter & S Sharrod Neasman The Falcons have officially placed starting FS Ricardo Allen on IR, ending his 2018 season. The team also made several other roster moves on Tuesday afternoon, including:Signed LB Bruce CarterSigned S Sharrod NeasmanWaived LB Richard JarvisRicardo Allen tore his achilles during the Falcons’ Week 3 match-up with the Saints. Allen signed a 3-year, $19.5M contract with the Falcons during training camp, and all of Atlanta hopes that he is able to return healthy for the start of the 2019 season. Achilles injuries are typically quite difficult to return from, however, so it’s possible that Allen may need additional time to return to full strength.The Falcons also signed LB Bruce Carter and S Sharrod Neasman to bolster the depth at both positions. Carter is a 7-year veteran who most recently played with Jets in 2017—he’s piled up 311 tackles, 5 sacks, 17 pass deflections, and 5 INTs during his career. Neasman was with the Falcons in 2017 as the primary back-up strong safety behind Keanu Neal. He played in 11 games for Atlanta last season, with only 2 total tackles. Neasman is familiar with the scheme and looked solid in limited playing time—hopefully, he can provide steady depth and will compete with Jordan Richards, Keith Tandy, and Kemal Ishmael for the starting role.Richard Jarvis has bounced between the active roster and the practice squad several times this season. The Falcons clearly like Jarvis as a developmental EDGE/LB, and I’d expect him to return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.What are your thoughts on these roster moves? Do you think the Falcons will get anything out of Bruce Carter and/or Sharrod Neasman? Who do you think should start among the Falcons current options at SS? It’s out there, but it could happen."Okay, let’s get wild. Who might the Falcons take?One of the Devins. Devin White is an LSU linebacker Stitched Jake Matthews Jersey , making him such a Dan Quinn pick that it almost cannot happen, and that’s before we even get to his athletic profile. White is fast, fluid, and has the makeup of a playmaker at the NFL level, even if his instincts and tackling lag behind. He could be—even should be—an impact player at the next level.Bush is a more refined player, and his ability in coverage and agility would make him a deeply intriguing fit for the Falcons. He’s also flashed as a pass rusher in college at times, and the Falcons can always use more help there.Beyond that, I’d be hard-pressed to see the Falcons going with a linebacker at 14, and we’re already way out in unlikely territory to begin with. What does it mean for the roster in 2019?You would expect to see the Falcons trotting out three linebackers more often, I’d wager, as there’s no real reason to believe they’re eager to get De’Vondre Campbell’s physicality off the field. Campbell, Deion Jones and either White or Bush would be a formidable, athletic group, and Foye Oluokun is a great insurance policy in any case. The Falcons would be a more capable run defense with that much speed on the field, for certain, but Bush and Jones in particular would be potent enough in coverage that the Falcons might be willing to test out true 4-3 fronts more often, even if it got Damontae Kazee off the field more often. What does it mean long-term?Interesting things. The Falcons are coming up on an extension for Campbell Youth Jake Matthews Jersey , who has been a quality starter the team will certainly try to extend. The addition of a linebacker at 14 would crowd the depth chart, obviously, and it might make the Falcons more willing to explore life without Campbell.The bigger question might be how they feel about Foye Oluokun, who just turned in an impressive rookie campaign. This team plays nickel often enough that having four starting-caliber linebackers is a nice luxury but still a luxury, meaning Oluokun would have to be considered a true backup going forward—and Campbell comfortable with reduced playing time—to make this thing work. If the team did move on from Campbell, it’d be Jones, the rookie, and Oluokun going forward. Considering linebacker is in good shape and Campbell shouldn’t break the bank, though, linebacker still would be a surprising pick. What are the opportunity costs?Everything I wrote about defensive tackle and cornerback, basically. The Falcons have bigger fish to fry than linebacker, and while adding a potentially elite player to the corps would certainly improve this defense, it would leave them looking for immediate and long-term help at defensive end, right tackle, defensive tackle, cornerback, and safety with subsequent picks that have lower success rates. It also creates a logjam at the position this year Stitched Desmond Trufant Jersey , where the Falcons are loaded with talent and depth options, though I’m wagering that they’d clear out plenty of playing time at the expense of Oluokun and perhaps Campbell if they made this kind of investment.Unless they’re worried about losing Campbell next year, though, the costs would appear to outweigh the immediate benefits. Defensive end is going to be hollowed out again to start next offseason, defensive tackle will be shedding a couple of useful players if the Falcons don’t re-sign them, cornerback is still a position of priority given that the team won’t stop talking about it, and tackle remains the one position the Falcons could probably slam dunk upgrade in the draft. Should the Falcons do it?I’d lean toward no. Bush in particular and White to a lesser degree could be great, and obviously adding an elite linebacker next to Deion Jones would make this defense a gigantic pain in the butt to deal with. From that perspective, it’s a justifiable pick, and nobody should be shocked if Dan Quinn’s deep and enduring love of linebackers wins the day if one of those guys is available at 14.But the Falcons can’t abandon needs-based drafting entirely just because they signed some useful depth options for a year or two, as they well know. That first round draft pick could be a five-plus year solution at a position, and the Falcons could certainly use more talent at linebacker but not to the extent they need it at, say, right tackle or defensive end. I still expect them to sink a pick into the trenches when all is said and done, but DQ’s lust for athleticism and speed at linebacker and the team’s post-draft ties to top players in 2018 suggest we shouldn’t rule this one out entirely.