When the Falcons fired Arthur Smith, Terry Fontenot kept his title as general manager.
Through the hiring process, it became clear there was an internal force working against bringing in Bill Belichick, leading most to believe the Falcons executives, including Fontenot and Rich McKay, were looking out for themselves, not the franchise.
At the end of the day, everyone got to keep their jobs because Arthur Blank and the search committee landed on Raheem Morris, who was obviously okay with leaving the front office intact.
Fast forward to the present, and Terry Fontenot’s seat should be warming. The Falcons GM should be held responsible for the lack of pass rush in Atlanta. Sure, we can credit him for signing Jessie Bates and Kirk Cousins, but give me $250 million to spend, and I can hand the two best free agents at their respective positions market-value deals. That’s the bare minimum.
You don’t get points for doing the bare minimum. Meanwhile, the Falcons GM has poured resources into the pass rush, and there has been virtually no improvement. Fontenot deserves the lion’s share of the blame for the lack of pass rush.
Let’s dig in.
Whether it be through the draft or free agency, Fontenot has had no success in any area. As far as the NFL draft goes, the Falcons have spent eight picks on defensive linemen, five of which were top 100 selections. Â Those draftees have accumulated zero sacks through eight games in 2024 and have only totaled 16.5 sacks in their Falcons careers.
That is unacceptable, and the pro personal acquisitions have been just as underwhelming. The best free agent signings during his tenure — Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree — walked this past offseason, while Lorenzo Carter and James Smith-Williams have given virtually nothing this year.
The most notable acquisition has been Matthew Judon. The veteran was acquired from the Patriots in exchange for a third-round pick and hasn’t lived up to the billing. Judon has totaled 1.5 sacks and five pressures in eight games, according to Pro Football Reference. The veteran put up 4.0 sacks and 11 pressures in just four games last year with the Patriots before a season-ending injury. Judon is literally producing at half the rate he was last year in twice as many games.
The Falcons haven’t had a consistent pass rush in forever, and Terry Fontenot has had four years to do something about it. If anything, it’s gotten worse. At a certain point, someone has to be held accountable.
—
Photographer: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.