The Atlanta Falcons pass rush has come on strongly as of late with 9 sacks in the past two games. But the Falcons should still make edge rusher a priority this offseason.
At least that's what Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department argued Monday when discussing Atlanta's upcoming offseason needs.
The BR staff named Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai the 2025 free agency addition the Falcons should make.
"Matthew Judon hasn't lived up to expectations this season and is an impending free agent. Lorenzo Carter's contract is also about to expire, which will heighten the defense's need for a pass-rusher," the BR staff wrote. "The problem is the organization is only projected to have about $7.5 million of cap space this offseason, per Over The Cap, so it will have to bargain-hunt.
"Ossai doesn't have a good track record with only 6.5 sacks in 42 career games heading into this weekend. But that should keep his price tag down on the open market and the 24-year-old who turns 25 in April has plenty of talent. So, the front office would be taking a small gamble on a high-level athlete being a late bloomer and coming into his own in year five."
Ossai has intriguing potential, so I don't want to completely dispel the idea of the Falcons bringing in the Nigerian outside linebacker.
However, the Falcons can't really afford Ossai to be their biggest addition for their pass rush. He's an unproven commodity, as he has just 7.5 sacks in his four-year career (he added one to his total on Monday after Bleacher Report's publication).
Counting on a reclamation project such as Bud Dupree, which the Falcons did going into the 2023 season, is one thing. But hoping to take an underperforming Day 2 selection in the hopes of developing him into a top edge rusher doesn't sound like a good idea for the Falcons given their horrible recent track record of developing pass rushers they have drafted.
Adding Ossai as a cheap flier after already signing or drafting another pass rusher, though, would be fine and even prudent.
The Bengals drafted Ossai at No. 69 overall in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. He missed his rookie NFL season because of a meniscus injury he suffered during the preseason.
Before the injury, though, he led the Big 12 conference with 16 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles during his final season at Texas in 2020.
Ossai moved from Nigeria to Conroe, Texas when he was 10. He will be an unrestricted free agent in March.
Despite nine sacks in the past two weeks, the Falcons are last in the NFL with 19 sacks this season. No other team in the league has fewer than 24 sacks.
