The Falcons have a lot to do this offseason, but the chief goal for Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris should be improving the defense. Thankfully, they understand that.
The team never does anything normal, though. Most recently, it was revealed by D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal Constitution that the Falcons would only interview defensive players at this week’s NFL Combine. None of the Falcons’ offensive assistants were even in attendance, according to the report.
While it might be a little goofy to do that, it’s overwhelmingly apparent that the Falcons understand what this offseason is going to be about. According to a report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Atlanta is expected to be aggressive in pursuing defensive upgrades.
“Two NFC South teams that I expect to be fairly aggressive in pursuing defensive upgrades in the draft and free agency are the Falcons and Panthers,” Graziano writes. “The Falcons are likely to use most, if not all, of their early-round picks on defensive players, and they have some interest in trading their No. 15 pick to collect more draft capital, depending on how the first half of Round 1 shakes out.”
I would expect the Falcons to use their first-round pick and a large portion of their salary cap funds on the defense, as most others do. The Falcons need starters at every single level on that side of the ball.
Jessie Bates III and A.J. Terrell need running mates in the secondary. Depending on what the Falcons do with David Onyemata and Grady Jarrett, they’ll need to address the interior defensive line. The second level could use bolstering too, with Troy Andersen’s injury concerns and Kaden Elliss entering the final year of his deal.
But most of all, the Falcons need to find an edge rusher that can consistently pressure the quarterback. It’s been the single biggest weakness of this defense for over two decades.
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Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire
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