The Atlanta Falcons have had a major offseason with key additions such as quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Darnell Mooney but the defensive side of the ball is where the Falcons spent most of the offseason improving.
Their first big move was re-signing 25-year-old linebacker Nate Landman to a three-year $2.5 million deal. 2023 was Landman’s first year as a starter after recording only one tackle in his rookie campaign in 2022. Landman was third on the team in tackles with 110, only behind Kaden Elliss and Jessie Bates.
In the draft, the Falcons added much-needed depth to the defensive line, selecting Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro, Washington edge Bralen Trice and Oregon defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus each in the top four rounds.
In college, Orhorhoro tallied up 12 sacks, nine pass deflections and 88 tackles in his four-year career.
Possibly the biggest sleeper in the draft is Trice. The two-time first-team All-Pac 12 defensive end recorded 28.5 tackles for loss in three years with 23.5 of those coming in just the last two years.
“He’s that enforcer that gets us going not only with his energy, but his playmaking, you obviously see it on tape,” Former Washington teammate Alphonzo Tuputala told reporters. “To have that, it rallies everybody up. He doesn’t talk that much, but he just decides to go out there and do it himself.”
Fans have to wait until next season to see Trice make an impact on the field after suffering a knee injury in a joint practice against the Miami Dolphins that also saw teammate Rondale Moore suffer a season-ending injury.
Another big move wouldn’t be made until August where in the span of a week, the Falcons signed all-pro safety Justin Simmons and traded for New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon. Simmons is coming off a third straight second-team All-Pro season making it the fourth in his career. Simmons was linked to the division rival New Orleans Saints after being in negotiation talks but after a dinner with Falcons players, decided to sign a one-year $7.5 million deal.
“I’m excited. There’s a lot of new, but the guys here have been great, and the coaches have been awesome.” Simmons said. “The acceleration process of learning the defense, learning how the guys communicate, has been awesome.”
As for Judon, the 32-year-old linebacker is coming off a torn bicep that caused him to miss much of the 2023 NFL season. The season prior to that, Judon recorded a career-high 15.5 sacks earning him a Pro Bowl spot. Judon has just one year left on his contract as the Falcons will use this season to evaluate whether to extend him or let him walk in next year’s free agency.
“I hate to say long-term when you’re talking about a 32-year-old player just in general,” Morris said. “But when you get a guy the way we were able to acquire him, that’s always fun. You get a guy with the ability to come in here and be a game wrecker for you right now and you figure out those things.”
Most recently, star cornerback A.J. Terrell was re-signed to an $81 million deal, keeping him in Atlanta for the next four years.
What does all this mean for the upcoming season though? Well, last year the Falcons were seventh in total defense, and with an improved defensive line and even scarier secondary with Jessie Bates, Justin Simmons and A.J Terrell, the sky seems to be the limit for the Falcons with many experts even projecting them to win the NFC South, ending a five-year playoff drought.
