Falcons sign Coleman, Hutchins; continue talks with Turner

Published: Mar 02, 2008 at 04:57 AM

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons signed free-agent defensive backs Erik Coleman and Von Hutchins on Saturday.

Coleman, who has seven interceptions and 338 tackles in four years with the New York Jets, is the likely replacement for safety Chris Crocker, an unrestricted free agent.

Coleman, who had 41 tackles in 15 games last season, led the Jets with 10 tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by Tom Brady in a playoff loss to New England during the 2006 season.

Hutchins, who has played cornerback and safety, spent his first two seasons with Indianapolis before joining Houston in 2006. He has 142 career tackles with two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Hutchins, from Mississippi, made 15 starts for Houston last season and set a career high with 94 tackles.

Terms of the deals were not immediately available.

Meanwhile, the Falcons continued to court free-agent running back Michael Turner. He attended the Arena Football League between Dallas and Atlanta with Falcons coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Saturday. He began his weekend visit in Atlanta on Friday.

Turner, the backup to LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, would join Jerious Norwood to give the Falcons a duo of running backs featuring power and speed, respectively. The addition of Turner likely would signal the end of Warrick Dunn's era as the team's starter.

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