The Falcons have one more game before the NFL Trade Deadline, but nothing should happen on Sunday against the Cowboys to convince Terry Fontenot that he can stand pat this year.
Will it be a marquee name the Falcons target? Probably not, because they just won’t be available. Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby aren’t on the trade block, but that doesn’t mean the Falcons can’t come away with an edge rusher.
It just means that Atlanta will have to get creative and potentially shop for under-the-radar candidates. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano proposed a few of those under-the-radar trade candidates, a few of which should pique the interest of Fontenot.
https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1851619847341252765
Baron Browning
Browning is a former off-ball linebacker that logged 4.5 sacks last year. He lost his starting job while on the injured reserve and is in a contract year. Denver is in a weird place, though. They own a 5-3 record but are clearly ahead of schedule and not a playoff team. They could be both buyers and sellers at the trade deadline.
Azeez Ojulari
I’m not sure the Georgia product is even under the radar at this point, but Graziano seems to think so.
“I’ll add another Giant — 24-year-old edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who already has six sacks this season and 22 over his four-year career. The 2021 second-round pick is playing out the final season of his rookie contract.”
With New York’s investment in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, it would be a shock if the Giants re-signed Ojulari, so a trade makes the most sense for a 2-6 team. The Falcons would be infinitely better with Ojulari.
Patrick Jones II
This isn’t from the ESPN article but rather my own under-the-radar trade target. Jones II is also in a contract year and is surrounded by a lot of talent in Minnesota. The Vikings have Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner on the depth chart, making Jones potentially expendable. Jones has five sacks and six tackles for loss through seven games; that would be team-leader numbers on the Falcons.
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A few other potential targets the Falcons could have on their radars are Harold Landry, Calais Campbell, and Za’Darius Smith, but they aren’t exactly “under the radar.”
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