Magic 8 ball, will the bad luck end anytime soon?
On Sunday afternoon, the Atlanta Falcons announced that they have placed rookie outside linebacker Bralen Trice on season-ending injured reserve, following his torn ACL injury he suffered in Friday night's preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins.
This is only one of three heartbreaking injuries to hit the Falcons in just a matter of days, as the team also saw wide receiver Rondale Moore go down for the season with a knee injury and safety DeMarcco Hellams left Friday’s game with an air cast on his leg – still unclear how severe his injury is at this time.
So where do we go from here? With Trice’s unfortunate season-ending injury, it leaves the pass-rushing group looking a bit bleak. Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, James Smith-Williams and DeAngelo Malone make up this outside linebacker department as things stand.
If general manager Terry Fontenot opts to make an addition and bring some juice to this room, there are a handful of routes that he can go:
Veteran Free Agent Signing
If Fontenot wants to add to this room, he certainly has options in the free agent market. Now, if Atlanta’s general manager wants to go for a ‘big fish’ and sign a player that can come in and contribute right away and even contend for a starting job, there are a good chunk of players that can do that.
- Yannick Ngakoue
- Carl Lawson
- Tyus Bowser
- Shaq Lawson
- Charles Harris
Ngakoue could be viewed as the more likely signing amongst this bunch. The 29-year-old may not be a long term option for Atlanta, but he is a player that could do their part in a much needed pass-rush area. In recent years Ngakoue has shuffled from team to team, recording solid enough stats along the way. Throughout Ngakoue’s career, he has notched 223 total tackles, 69 sacks, 21 forced fumbles, and two interceptions. If Atlanta wants a decent enough replacement, Ngakoue is a serviceable plug-and-play kind of guy based on his ability to get the quarterback.
Carl Lawson is another name that boasts fair play at his position. Last season Lawson did not see a whole lot of playing time with the New York Jets. In years prior, however, he recorded seven sacks with one forced fumble in 2022 and five-and-a-half sacks to go along with 36 total tackles in 2020. If Lawson were to land in Atlanta he would almost definitely contribute and even earn himself a ticket into the starting lineup.
Trade
This option may be somewhat unlikely, based on the candidates that could be traded for. While there could be a name that no one is expecting to be traded, there are two main names floating around the league as potential trade options before the regular season begins.
- Haason Reddick
- Matthew Judon
Both players would be immediate energy boosters to Atlanta’s pass rush, however, each player wants a long-term deal.
Reddick was recently sent to the Jets in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles and has been holding out with the team during New York’s training camp sessions due to contract disputes. When Reddick is on the field he absolutely dominates, as he has recorded double-digit sacks in every season since 2020. Reddick wants to be paid as a top pass-rusher in the league, and rightfully so.
Judon, who has most recently spent the past three years with the New England Patriots, has put up very impressive seasons in Foxborough – tallying 32 total sacks during his tenure thus far. There are trade rumors circulating for the nine-year veteran, with Atlanta regularly being named as a potential suitor.
While it is fun to dream about trading for one of these stellar pass-rushers, Atlanta only has $3.4 million in cap space. Although, if Fontenot wants to make a major splash and get some adrenaline pumping across the fanbase, there are ways he could afford either player and pay them top-tier money. All it takes is a couple of contract restructures to current players, a possible A.J. Terrell extension and some roster cuts to open up some money. However, this remains to be seen.
Keep Depth As Is
At the end of the day, this is always a route that Fontenot could choose to take. This current outside linebacker room looks disastrous on the surface, but defense coordinator Jimmy Lake could shock people and coach these players up to something magnificent. That’s a risky bet though.
Fontenot may be hoping to rely on the expected starters on the defensive line of Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata and Zach Harrison to contribute in getting to the quarterback, as well as occasional blitzes from inside linebackers and safeties. But, you can only count on that for so long.
Overall, something has to give. The Falcons haven’t had a solid pass rush since John Abraham’s days on the defense from 2006-2012. Fontenot has seemingly neglected the pass-rush since he has become the team's general manager and it can’t continue to be a recurring issue any longer. This week could make for a very busy one for Fontenot, if he truly desires to fix this group.
