The NFL trade deadline came and went, with the Falcons failing to strike a deal to bolster the pass rush.
The club was connected to several pass rushers, but none more than Azeez Ojulari. In the end, the Giants’ asking price wasn’t met. Joe Schoen decided it was better to keep the impending free agent for whatever reason.
For the Falcons, Terry Fontenot clearly didn’t feel Schoen’s asking price was appropriate, and to be fair to Atlanta’s GM, are we convinced Ojulari was going to put the pass rush over the top? I’m not so sure.
When asked about the empty-handed trade deadline, Raheem Morris told the Atlanta media, “We had a couple of discussions about things, but no (nothing got serious enough to come across his desk). We feel really good about the guys we got,” according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
I can understand some Falcons fans being upset about Atlanta coming away without having made a move, but it may have been the best thing for a club that just opened its window to compete.
Jimmy Lake tried something new last week against the Cowboys, rotating the edge group, with Matthew Judon taking a season-low percentage of snaps and Arnold Ebiektie and DeAngelo Malone taking a season-high. Kaden Elliss also had more pass rush snaps than in previous weeks. The experiment resulted in three sacks against Dallas.
The Falcons pass rush isn’t going to do a 180 overnight, but internal development from the youngsters and Lake’s creativity can help manufacture some pressure. That’s what the hope has to be in a post-trade deadline world.
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Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire
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