FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- When the Houston Texans waived safety D.J. Swearinger back in May, Atlanta Falcons starting strong safety William Moore thought Swearinger would be a good addition to the roster.
Now that Swearinger has once again been waived, this time by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Moore still sees value in adding more depth at the position.
"To be honest with you, I haven't really watched him recently, but if he's still the same player he was at first, he would be an addition to any team," said Moore, who is back in action after a groin injury. "I like the way he plays. From what I hear, he has the knowledge for the game. And he's a fierce competitor. If you have smarts to go along with that, you can make it in any system."
The Falcons put in a claim for Swearinger back in May before he was awarded to the Buccaneers. Eight teams total put in a claim for him the first time around. But Tuesday, Swearinger went unclaimed and is now free to sign with any team.
That doesn't mean the Falcons will be interested. Swearinger obviously didn't make an impact with the Buccaneers while playing mostly special teams. Word was he had the tendency to freelance on defense, which annoyed the coaches. He also had battled a toe injury the last few weeks.
But Swearinger did have 22 starts in two seasons with the Texans, where he averaged 72 tackles per season, had three interceptions, and forced four fumbles.
Falcons outside linebacker Brooks Reed played with Swearinger in Houston.
"He plays hard and is very instinctual," Reed said. "He brings a lot of juice out there. He'll talk trash to you. That's a good thing. When you're a DB, you've got to be confident out there. He's a good player. He's plays the run very well. He's a very physical player."
With rookie safety Robenson Therezie currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and veteran safety Charles Godfrey bouncing on and off the roster, it might not hurt for the Falcons to take a look at Swearinger for a minimum price.
As for Swearinger's reputation of being a little volatile, coach Dan Quinn can no doubt handle such a personality if there's an interest.
