The Falcoholic
Atlanta needs to revamp its defensive identity following a disappointing season filled with structural breakdowns and long drives being allowed. How should they strategize their approach going into a pivotal year?
All the headlines surrounding the Falcons involved an offense filled with dynamic talent and high-profile names. Whether it was a productive game or a second-half implosion, everything felt centered on their performance every week. That left the defense an afterthought in many game breakdowns. No matter how inept the pass rush was or how many uncontested completions the opposing quarterback had, the offense would be the primary topic of most conversations.
That won’t be the case this offseason. Besides Drew Dalman’s free agency status, there aren’t major questions about the offensive personnel. It’s the total opposite defensively, where upgrades are needed on all three levels. Following a year of ranking at the bottom in numerous categories, Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot have to assemble a cohesive plan of action for the defense to make strides and develop young talent. They can’t continue to be overmatched with the offense in prime position to truly take off in 2025.
“There’s no great defense in this league that has not affected the quarterback.” It was a strong statement from someone with plenty to prove coming back to Atlanta. The returning Jeff Ulbrich made his intentions known about getting this unit to a place where they can generate consistent pressure.
It starts with getting younger on the defensive line, as seven players aged 28 years or older played significant roles. Three of them they expected to count on the most were Grady Jarrett, Matthew Judon, and David Onyemata. All three players showed they can’t play at the Pro Bowl-caliber level they once did.
While a young, promising core does exist with Arnold Ebiketie, Zach Harrison, and Ruke Orhorhoro, more talent will be required to produce with four-man rushes instead of relying on Kaden Elliss to cause havoc from blitzes and simulated pressures. Between a lack of high-quality free agents and not having many assets to trade for an All-Pro like Trey Hendrickson, the draft likely presents the best platform to acquire an edge rusher they could build around.
That shouldn’t prevent them from getting creative to sign or trade for edge rushers. It’s the biggest hole on their roster. It’s arguably been the case for the last five years. That doesn’t come from neglect. They have been proactive over the years, acquiring Judon and Dante Fowler to inject explosiveness into a limited group. Those high-profile moves failed to materialize into difference-makers they envisioned getting. It’s time for this regime to get it right with their personnel choices, not only at the edge rusher position but on the interior, where tough decisions will be made.
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