The Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line unit has been under fire since the conclusion of the 2024 season. All-in-all, the unit ranked towards the bottom of the league in nearly every statistical category. However, it is a long time veteran in the trenches that Pro Football Focus reports is statistically the most underrated piece of the team.
David Onyemata was named the most underrated player on the squad. Onyemata was drafted by, and spent eight years playing for, the division rival New Orleans Saints. But it was his 10th season in the league, and second with the dirty birds, that turned PFF’s heads.
“The Manitoba product has been a staple in the middle of NFC South defensive lines since 2016, playing more than 5,300 defensive snaps between his time with the New Orleans Saints and the Falcons,” PFF published. “At 32 years old, Onyemata is coming off his seventh season of logging more than 500 defensive snaps, proving to be one of the more reliable players at his position in recent years.”
Although 2024 did see a minor step back from his dominative 2023 campaign that saw Onyemata receive his second highest PFF grade in his illustrious career. Still, entering the last year of a relatively team friendly three year, $35 million contract, Onyemata has more than produced in his time with Atlanta.
“Since joining the Falcons in 2023, Onyemata owns the 14th-best PFF run-defense grade (73.1) and the 21st-best PFF overall grade (77.7) among qualifying players at his position,” PFF concluded.
Falcons Chose Onyemata Over Garrett
The Falcons are not in a great spot as far as the NFL cap is concerned. According to spotrac.com, the team has the third lowest available cap in the entire league. For this reason, SI’s Tyler Carmona believes it is at least worth noting that the team had the option to offload Onyemata and didn’t.
“It was a bit of a surprise that Onyemata was still on the roster after the free agent period,” Carmona writes. “He’s in the final year of his deal and carries a $16.9-million cap hit against only $9.4-million dead money. Meaning, the cash-strapped Falcons could have saved over $7 million by moving on from him, according to Spotrac.”
But he believes there’s more to be made about who the Falcons’ chose to move on from. Long time Falcon Grady Jarrett saw his contract terminated prior to this years free agency cycle.
“However, once the Falcons cut Grady Jarrett in March, Onyemata’s veteran presence instantly became more valuable on a young defensive front,” Carmona concluded.
Jarrett Came With A Big Time Price Tag
Jarrett was entering the final year of a three year, nearly $50 million extension. Letting go of the veteran, who currently holds the sixth most sacks in Atlanta’s franchise history, was a bitter sweet decision.
“Atlanta saved $16.25 million in cap space by not letting Jarrett play out the final season of a three-year, $49.5 million contract and cutting him hours before the start of the legal tampering period at noon ET,” CBS Sports Garrett Podell wrote in March. “He didn’t have any guaranteed money remaining on the deal, which is why the Falcons saved as much as they did in that transaction. “
