The Atlanta Falcons organization will regret their decision to forego adding much-needed reinforcements on the defensive line as the NFL trade deadline has passed. Adding legitimate talent to a pass-rushing unit that has struggled to produce in 2024 should have been the priority, as the unit has been the team’s kryptonite this season. Several opportunities were presented for the team to make a move(s) to upgrade the unit, but the trade options were inexplicably turned down in favor of the status quo.
Opportunities were available
The Lions, Chiefs, and Steelers all traded for pass rushers on Tuesday’s deadline for fifth, sixth, & seventh round picks respectively; meanwhile, the Falcons decided to remain content with having Matthew Judon and Arnold Ebiketie as their primary pass rushers on an underwhelming defensive line that struggles to create pressure.
Players like Za’Darius Smith, Josh Uche, and Preston Smith would have been instant impact starters for the team, & each player would certainly have upgraded the unit. Azeez Ojulari, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Jadeveon Clowney were amongst players who were not traded but that would have made sense for the Falcons to make a move for. Marquee names such as Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby were theoretically available as well, though it would have been a tall order to negotiate acquiring their services.
One clear and obvious need
A mediocre pass-rushing unit has been the Falcons Achilles’ heel for over a decade. In other words this isn’t a new issue but a recurring one that needs to be addressed. Coaching changes, scheme changes, and personnel changes during this time have failed to produce any meaningful results in Atlanta’s struggle at rushing the passer.
This year though, the rest of the team’s roster is actually in decent shape, outside of needing some depth at positions like offensive line, wide receiver, and linebacker. That’s why it was so strange to see the Falcons stand pat at the trade deadline, as it seemed rather clear and obvious that the team had only one need worth addressing. Not only that, but their status as NFC contenders made upgrading the team worth it.
Division is there for the taking
Don’t look now, but the Dirty Birds are comfortably leading the NFC South division. They have a 6-3 record right now, with the 4-5 Buccaneers standing in second place. The Panthers are a dumpster fire, while the (S)aints recently fired their head coach. Here we are in early November and the team already has a 94.7% chance to win the division, which tells you all that you need to know about the state of the NFC South.
Add all of this up, and it’s easy to see why the Falcons should have been much more aggressive in their attempts to add a veteran pass rusher at the NFL trade deadline. The team ranks last in the NFL heading into Week 10 with just 9 sacks on the season. There are NFL players such as Trey Hendrickson (11) and Dexter Lawrence (9) who have more sacks individually this season than the Falcons do as an entire defense. That’s a huge problem, one that this writer believes will hamper the team later on.
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