FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams made the most of his playing time in his NFL debut against the Dolphins.
Now, he plans to build on that performance and try to find a path to the team’s 53-man roster in a crowded secondary.
Hellams is listed as the third-string safety behind Jessie Bates and Jaylinn Hawkins. Bates was signed to a four-year, $64 million deal this offseason. Hawkins was a starter last season.
On the other side, Richie Grant is backup by Micah Abernathy, Lukas Denis and Cliff Chattman.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith acknowledged that the team is going to have some difficult decisions to make at the safety position.
Hellams made the most of his opportunity over 61 defensive snaps (92%) in the 19-3 win over the Dolphins. He finished with seven tackles and an interception in the end zone.
Hellams led Alabama with 108 tackles last season. Smith said the Falcons expected Hellams to do that same thing that saw on film that led to his selection in the seventh-round of the NFL draft.
It seemed like a wise decision at the time to take a productive player from the SEC with the 224th pick.
“It’s great hearing that from coach Smith and for him and Terry believing in me and having me here,” Hellams said. “I just want to make sure I don’t let my coaches down, don’t let my teammates down as far as what they expect from me. On defense, I try to hold my teammates accountable and they will hold me accountable as well.”
The Falcons have overhauled the defense this offseason, including the secondary. The Bates signing was a clear marker that the safety play needed to improve.
“Just getting acclimated to the guys,” Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said. “We were together in the spring, but you really don’t know. (In the) spring you’re putting in the defense and you kind of figuring them out. But now, you get a chance to see them compete against our offense. I think it’s only going to make you better.”
Hellams just needs to keep practicing well and when he gets on the field in the final two exhibition games, continue to play well. He’ll likely have to get some special teams assignments in order to make the final roster. He was a core special teams player at Alabama.
“That’s the thing that we talked about as a secondary, is competition,” Gray said. “I believe that and I think our guys are falling into it now. They’re believing, hey, look, just go out there compete. You know, it doesn’t matter who you’re going against. You got to get yourself better ready to go every day.”
Hellams believes he’s up to the task.
“So, every time that I’m out there on the field, I want to make sure that I’m giving my guys 110 percent,” Hellams said. “I’m always around the ball, because that’s how you win the games. You get the ball back, that’s what we say we did a great job out there on defense (against Miami). We gave up some plays, but we made some plays when it counted.”
The veterans have been helpful to Hellams, who’s trying to learn as much as he can from Bates.
“It’s been great being around those guys,” Hellams said. “They’ve done a great job. Even though they didn’t play (against Miami), they did great job of encouraging young guys, letting us know just to be patient and that our plays will come to us.”
Sometimes players receive information from their peers better and sometimes a in-game chat can help someone make a play.
“But those guys definitely did a great job helping us on the sidelines as far as what we would see, things that were happening to us,” Hellams said. “They did a great job of encouraging us and just letting us know what we can do with our first (exhibition) season game. We were ready for the moment.”
Even though the starters will play against the Bengals, Hellams plans to be ready and build on his fine showing.
“It was a great opportunity to show my coaches what I can do,” Hellams said. “Show my teammates what I can do as well. It was a great moment for me to get back on the football field.
“Football is my favorite thing to do. So, getting back out there, you get a little bit of the jitters, but all it takes is that first hit. (After that) first contact, you realize that I’m back playing football, again. That takes a lot of the pressure off.”
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