"That didn't surprise me," Douglas said. "That's his first pick ever as a head coach in the NFL. You're tied to that guy. Coach Quinn is going to do everything possible to put Vic Beasley in the best position to be successful. I won't be surprised if I see him lining up off the ball sometimes, running stunts with him. Maybe there will be some pick plays to get him to the quarterback. I think Coach Quinn is going to do everything in his power to utilize him in different ways."
The eighth overall pick in the 2015 Draft, Beasley has had some inconsistency in his four years in an Atlanta uniform. He produced a total of 10 sacks over the past two seasons after recording a career-high and NFL-best 15.5 in 2016. He had five sacks and no forced fumbles last season as the Falcons finished tied for 22nd in the league with 37 sacks.
A former NFL pass rusher himself, Douglas said he believed the Falcons did "a lot of soul searching" on the decision to bring Beasley back, given his production since the Super Bowl season.
"I think Coach Quinn had to go to bat for him. That's why Coach Quinn and everybody else had to figure out what they wanted to do (with him). I know he was asked to play linebacker or hybrid of that, and he started off on the right side of the line and then he moved over to the left and had a little bit of success over there. And another thing Coach Quinn admits, as you read between the lines, he needs to be more consistent."