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As will be the case for a multitude of other teams that missed out on playing playoff football this season, the Atlanta Falcons head into the upcoming offseason with multiple notable dilemmas on both sides of the ball.
The Falcons did not have many expectations entering the 2021 NFL regular season, especially as the team traded away Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans and were embarking on a new era under head coach Arthur Smith. Even as they were much projected to possibly finish with a top five pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Falcons instead notched a 7-10 record. The team had multiple standout performers over the campaign, from rookie tight end Kyle Pitts to second-year cornerback A.J. Terrell.
As the Falcons head into their second offseason under both Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot, the team will have plenty of questions that will need to be addressed. Overall, Smith has already hinted that the Falcons plan to call upon Matt Ryan to remain as their starting quarterback for the 2022 campaign. Still, the team has multiple areas for improvement at several positions.
Biggest need the Falcons must address in the offseason
While the Falcons have a few dilemmas that they may address with their offensive line, Fontenot must work to revamp the team’s front seven in the coming months.
The Falcons finished regular season play as arguably the least efficient pass-rushing team in the NFL.
Over the 2020 regular season, the Falcons had some success in getting to opposing quarterbacks, although their front seven often found difficulties in simply finishing plays. They finished the campaign with 161 total pressures, which ranked 10th in the NFL. However, they totaled for a mere 29 sacks, which ranked in the bottom 10 in the league.
One could have presumed that in his first season as Falcons defensive coordinator, Dean Pees would aim to rejuvenate the front seven and simply work to make the unit one of the more efficient pass-rushing groups in the NFL. However, this turned out to be far from the case.
In the 2021 season, the Falcons ranked last in the NFL in sacks (18) and pressures (105). Pees was not as aggressive as the team’s previous defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris when it came to blitzing, as the former’s defense notched a 24.5 percent blitz per dropback. In comparison, the Las Vegas Raiders recorded a league-worst 12.1 percent blitz per dropback figure in regular season play and still managed to finish the campaign with 35 sacks.
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In the big picture, the Falcons simply had a season to forget when it came to their pass rush proficiency, as the likes of defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and outside linebacker Steven Means failed to get much going when attempting to rush opposing quarterbacks on a game-by-game basis.
In order to help make the Falcons more of a multidimensional defensive unit, Fontenot must work to bolster the team’s front seven.
Fontenot may opt to elect to take an offensive lineman with the Falcons’ No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming draft, although he could also select an edge rusher instead. Former Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis may very likely be available for the Falcons when their time comes to pick in the opening round of the draft, but they could also go all in to trade up for 2021 Heisman Trophy finalist and former Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
As the Falcons are expected to face multiple hurdles in creating cap space in the coming months, the draft may be the best way to go for revamping the team’s front seven. The likes of Chandler Jones and Von Miller are set to become unrestricted free agents in March and while either would be a major addition to their front seven, Fontenot sure would have to work some cap space magic in order to be able to even afford either of the two longtime pass rushers.
The Falcons front seven may end up seeing multiple changes across the board, especially as the likes of Means and outside linebacker Dante Fowler are set to be out of a contract in March. Thus, Fontenot could very well plan to re-sign them on short-term deals or opt to start new by relying on second and third day draft picks in order to then revitalize the front seven.
If the Falcons are able to have any relative pass rush improvement in the 2022 campaign, it sure would bode well for their chances of making a return to the playoffs. Much pressure will be on Fontenot to help the team achieve this feat.
