By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons have witnessed an impressive performance from Marcus Mariota this off-season thus far. I trust in the former Oregon Duck to have the keys to the offense and pour it on the field in the 2022 season. With that said, I’m going to untwine three players on the new-look Falcons squad that have been underachieving and need to help the Mariota-led team improve in the 2022 season.

Deion Jones

The Falcons explosive LB Deion Jones will miss the rest of the off-season, but he still needs to remain focused. The well-paid LB took a step back in 2021 – after having an impressive 2020 season (106 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 ints). Falcons Wire suggested that Jones could be a trade candidate and Nick Halden from Blogging Dirty believes the Falcons should cut ties with the veteran LB. If Jones doesn’t improve during the 2022 season, it’s safe to say he won’t be a part of their 2023 picture.

Jake Matthews

Jake hasn’t lived up to his family’s name in the NFL as of late. Per PFF, he earned an 71.3 grade last season – which was his lowest grade since 2016. It’s safe to say he didn’t bounce back from his 2021 season – which resulted in an 75.5 grade by PFF. Matthews signed a monster contract extension that will pay him more than $18 million a season this off-season and he really needs to return to being a force at LT.

Grady Jarrett

It’s clear that the Falcons hold three high-paid players that weren’t superb in 2021 – as Grady Jarrett is the cherry on top of this list. Jarrett made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020, but he surely wasn’t a wrecking ball last season (1 sack, 12 QB hits, 3 TFLs). Jarrett also signed hefty contract extension worth $51 (with $34.5 million guaranteed) over three years. It’s time for him to be a star on a Falcons DL that it isn’t exactly well-rounded.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons are surely a re-building NFC South squad in the early days of OTAs. It appears that their outlook may be less exciting and ambiguous after the unfortunate Deion Jones news. Per The Falconholic, he will miss the entire off-season with a shoulder injury. The 27-year-old LB recorded 137 combined tackles and 2 sacks in 2021. There have also been reports that the Falcons could trade Jones, who currently carries a $20 million cap number.

After the Falcons moved on from Julio Jones in 2021 and Ryan this off-season, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if the Falcons parted ways with Jones.

The Falcons LB Mykal Walker will look to have a large role on the Falcons defense. PFF also stated that he is the Falcons breakout player in 2022. The former Alabama thumper Rashaan Evans will also look to make an impact in his first season in Atlanta. The 2022 second-round ILB Troy Andersen also recently inked his contract, per NBC Sports. It’s clear that if the Falcons decide to move on from the talented, yet expensive Deion Jones, they still have lots of potential at their LB spot.

The Falcons winning chances will still unequivocally rely on their QB Marcus Mariota and his ability to properly utilize the likes of Kyle Pitts, Cordaralle Patterson, and Drake London. Well, Falcons fans should rejoice that Mariota and Pitts are already making magic happen together. Per Falcons Wire, the former Oregon Duck and Pitts nicely connected on a deep ball yesterday.

Mariota may not be Matt Ryan, but he is definitely his arm talent in late May. If he can oust damage with his legs while making impressive throws to his explosive WR group, he could be a unique, upgrade over the 2021 version of Ryan.

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