For seemingly the umpteenth time in a row, the club ranks dead last in the NFL in sacks. It’s a tired conversation, and to make it more infuriating, Falcons coaches are doing the same song and dance as their predecessors.
“We don’t look down and stare down at what a stat sheet says on how many this, and how many that, and how many that,” defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said. “At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to win football games. The first thing we’re trying to do is outrun the South and win the South and try to secure a playoff spot. And so, individual statistics and all those things, those are extracurricular stuff that’s off to the side.
“The number one thing we’re trying to do is get the ball back for our offense, make sure they score less points than our team scores, which would mean we would win at the end of the day.”
Listen, nobody subscribes to the “shut up, nerd” narrative more than me, but at a certain point, we have to acknowledge the stat sheet is a direct representation of what’s happening on the field.
The stat sheet says the Falcons’ defense is a bottom-five unit. The eye test says the same. Jimmy Lake has to be better, and he’ll have an excellent opportunity to do so this week against the Buccaneers.
Baker Mayfield tore the Falcons up in their first meeting, but the Tampa quarterback will be without his top pass catchers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Falcons didn’t take advantage of a hobbled Seattle offensive line, only sacking Geno Smith once and letting the veteran signal caller dice them up despite being under constant pressure.
That isn’t necessarily on Jimmy Lake, but the buck stops at the coordinator, and he’ll be in a prime position to improve his unit against a very shorthanded Bucs offense.
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Photographer: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire
The NFL trade deadline is right around the corner, but there’s already been a flurry of notable trades leading up to the November deadline.
Davante Adams reunites with Aaron Rodgers in New York as the Jets and Raiders struck a deal. Another worthwhile pass catcher was also moved. The Bills acquired Amari Cooper from the Browns.
It’s sparked a mad craze among Falcons fans to conjure up their own trade hypotheticals, and after a few days of seeing complete and utter nonsense on social media, it’s time for Falcons fans to take a dose of reality.
Everyone needs to temper expectations. The Falcons have a clear and obvious need for a pass rusher, but there’s no world in which Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and Maxx Crosby are being dangled on the trade market.
Falcons fans need to wrap their heads around that fact, and even if (and that’s the biggest if of all time) the Browns, Cowboys, or Raiders do make them available, it’s not going to cost a first-round pick and Troy Andersen, you fools. Hypothetical trade talks don’t even begin without multiple first-round picks.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way and your expectations have been tempered. Let’s get to the actual pass rushers that might be within the Falcons’ reach.
In terms of star pass rushers available, Haason Reddick was the most available star pass rusher, but the Jets and Reddick struck a deal, so he’s unavailable.
Azeez Ojulari is another name. The former second-round pick had eight sacks as a rookie and another 5.5 sacks in his second season, but the Giants have invested heavily in the defensive line — Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and Kayvon Thibodeaux — and Ojulari is in the final year of his contract. With New York spinning its wheels, recouping some draft capital for a soon-to-be free agent seems likely.
Another pass rusher in the final year of his contract is Josh Uche. The Falcons and Patriots have already struck a deal for Matthew Judon, so there’s familiarity there. Uche recorded 11.5 sacks in 2022, but that’s more of an outlier than anything. He’s only totaled seven sacks in 2020, 2021 and 2023. Still, Uche is a solid player who would be an upgrade over Lorenzo Carter.
Za’Darius Smith could also be an intriguing option. The Browns have already traded Cooper away, which could signal they’re waiving the white flag on the season. Cleveland isn’t trading Myles Garrett, no matter what happens, but Smith? That’s a different story. He’s signed through 2025 and can give the Falcons a whole lot more than Carter.
There are others that I haven’t mentioned, but the point of this blog was to hammer “temper expectations” into Falcons fans’ heads. There’s no superstar pass rusher walking through the doors of Flowery Branch. Haason Reddick was the best option, and that’s off the table.
We will be looking at the next tier of trade targets.
