Atlanta Falcons Keep Quality Depth, Resign Wreh-Wilson

The Atlanta Falcons will not have a large amount of salary cap space to make a major splash in this year’s NFL free agency period. What the Falcons have done in advance of the free agent frenzy, is continue to resign their own lesser known free agents like Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

The Atlanta Falcons recently announced the resigning of cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson to a one year deal. The terms of the deal were undisclosed. He joins defensive end Steven Means, linebacker Bruce Carter and offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo as Falcons to receive contract extensions so far this offseason. Even though these players won’t move the meter for casual Falcons fans, the team is securing quality depth with players that Dan Quinn is comfortable with.

Blidi Wren-Wilson is a six-year pro out of the University of Colorado. He was originally a third round pick of the Tennessee Titans, drafted number 70 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. Wren-Wilson has great size for a cornerback, a trait that coach Dan Quinn covets. He stands at 6’1 and weighs 190 pounds.

Blidi Wren-Wilson has been a reserve player for most of his career. He’s played in 46 career games, starting only 15. 2014 was the only season in which Blidi was a regular starter. That season he started all 11 games that he appeared in. Career wise, Wren-Wilson has 95 tackles and has broken up 17 passes. He only has one interception in his career thus far, as well as one forced fumble.

As a player for the Atlanta Falcons, Wren-Wilson has appeared in 12 games during his three seasons with the team, starting just once. He has eight tackles and three passes defended in that time frame. Despite the limited opportunities, Blidi Wren-Wilson has played well when called upon.

Blidi Wreh-Wilson played just 30 snaps this year, as he struggled to return from a shoulder injury. He injured the shoulder after being hit by a teammate, in the fourth quarter of the team’s last preseason game. In the limited snaps, Wreh-Wilson received a 90.1 grade for the season by Pro Football Focus. Had he played enough snaps to qualify with that grade, he would have ranked as the second best player on the Atlanta Falcons defense, and third on the team.

Blidi Wreh-Wilson had a 90.1 coverage grade, an 82.3 tackling grade, and a grade of 61.8 against the run. In 24 coverage snaps, Blidi gave up only one catch for 11 yards. Seven of those yards did come after the catch. Wreh-Wilson’s two pass breakups, means that he broke up twice as many passes as he allowed to be completed. Quarterbacks only had rating of 39.6 when targeting Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Wreh-Wilson also did not commit a penalty all season. He added two tackles and zero missed tackles.

The signing of Blidi Wreh-Wilson did not cause a stir for casual Atlanta Falcons fans. However with his height and length, he fits perfectly into Dan Quinn’s Seattle Seahawks style defense. With the flashes he has shown in limited snaps, Blidi Wreh-Wilson might just prove to be much more valuable than expected, if an opportunity arises.

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