The Good

To be successful in the modern NFL you need good to great quarterback play and the ability to get after the opposing teams quarterback. The Falcons have the second ingredient covered as they have recently beefed up their defensive line. Grady Jarrett, who was named one of the biggest draft steals in the last 10 years, is the clear leader on this stout D-line. At age 30, Jarrett is showing no signs of slowing down. He finished last season with 6 sacks and 17 quarterback hits. The Falcons brought in Calais Campbell this offseason to team with Jarrett. Campbell is coming off an impressive year where he had 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. These two defensive stalwarts will be a tough duo to stop.

In today’s NFL, it’s never a good idea to draft a running back in the top 10 unless that running back is Bijan Robinson. Robinson has all the tools to make him an elite NFL weapon. He will instantly upgrade the Falcons offense and his versatility will allow him to be on the field in any situation. You can expect Robinson to be heavily utilized for a team that is shaky at the quarterback position. Robinson is my early favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Bad

As we’ve mentioned before the Falcons quarterback situation is shaky at best. Desmond Ridder will most likely be the week 1 starter but how long will he last? Ridder was dead last in our NFL quarterback tiers for 2023 and will need to show he can be more than a game manager. The Falcons brought in career backup Taylor Heinicke as a security blanket in case Ridder falters. Heinicke has shown he can be more than serviceable if called upon. My hunch is that we will be seeing Heinicke at some point this season.

The Falcons have two excellent young receiving threats in Drake London and Kyle Pitts. They have shown they can be a problem for opposing defenses. With that said the Falcons probably have one of the weakest wide receiver groups in the NFL. Outside of London they are all unproven or have failed at previous stops (see JJ Arcega-Whiteside). The combo of an unproven quarterback and lack of talent at the receiver position doesn’t bode well for the Falcons offense. I would’ve liked to see the Falcons address this position more in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Prediction

Ultimately, the Falcons defense is good enough to keep them in most games but the offense will struggle this season. Outside of the weak NFC South, it’s hard to see many wins on their schedule. This will be another year where Atlanta misses the playoffs however the future is bright. I expect the Falcons to address the quarterback position next offseason while they keep building around their young core.

2023 Record: 6-11

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By: Jake Rajala

The Week 1 NFC South showdown between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons was certainly a dandy. The Atlanta Falcons had a fourth-quarter lead of 26-10 until the Saints marched back and finished with a miraculous 27-26 victory. It was simply none other than a Thriller —- by Michael Jackson (yes, you need to watch the catchy, generational video below).

With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the contest that made each fan base wear an oxygen mask in the last quarter. Let’s begin.

• Michael Thomas!

Cantguardmike looked rusty and potentially less effective in a Sean Payton-less offense throughout the first three-quarters of the Saints-Falcons game. Nonetheless, it was safe to say he arrived in the fourth quarter by hauling in a pair of critical touchdown catches. I still don’t believe he is 100% just yet.

• Grady Jarrett

The Atlanta Falcons two-time Pro Bowl DT Grady Jarrett certainly showed up on Sunday — as he notched 1.5 sacks. He had his way with the Saints OL that was missing the rookie LT Trevor Penning, to say the least. It’s vital that he continues to shine for a front seven that has Deion Jones on injured reserve.

• Marshon Lattimore

The gifted Marshon Lattimore may have told fellow elite CB Jalen Ramsey, who allowed a perfect passer rating on Thurs. night, to hold his beer. Lattimore made a terrible mistake by holding rookie WR Drake London late in the game and he managed to have an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Falcons last offense drive — which led to the Falcons having a chance to convert a 64-yard field goal.

• Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson did his best Steven Jackson impression today by mowing down the Saints front seven and unveiling 22 attempts for 120 rushing yards. Patterson also had a bull-dozing TD score – as it was clear that he wasn’t going to be stifled by the talented, yet undersized Saints LB Pete Werner.

• Jarvis Landry

I loved the clutch ability by the legendary slot wideout Jarvis Landry today. Landry registered a potent 114 receiving yards on 7 catches. He is clearly going to hurt defenses when they spend a lot of their focus on MT.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons may not have a Super Bowl-contending roster, but they showcase numerous defensive players that can create a hades-like atmosphere for opposing signal-callers. It’s safe to say that the gifted profiles on the Falcons front seven (such as Grady Jarrett and Lorenzo Carter) will play with an extra edge against their despised NFC South foe in the New Orleans Saints tomorrow.

In the past eight match-ups between the Saints and Falcons, the Saints have won six of the contests.

Jarrett, who has made two Pro Bowl selections in the past three seasons, honestly has the edge against the likes of LG Andrus Peat and RG Cesar Ruiz. The former Stanford guard (Peat) ousted a dreadful 52.1 grade in 303 snaps a season ago. Furthermore, Ruiz made sure to have a PFF grade below 60 (as he had a 57.6 grade) last season. The Saints have a juggernaut RT in Ryan Ramczyk and a center named Eric McCoy that recently garnered a hefty contract extension, but their guard combination is a tad shady.

I undoubtedly believe Lorenzo Carter is the x-factor for the Falcons on edge. Carter had a career-high five sacks, a beautiful interception, eight QB hits, and six tackles for loss, for the GMEN last season. He will line up against LT James Hurt — who is filling in for the injured Trevor Penning (who is out until at least November).

If Carter & Jarrett can mop the floor against their competition, it will be quite difficult for Winston to utilize his Top-5 WR trio (Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave). On paper, it may seem like the Saints have a sexy QB-WR duo that is (finally) healthy, but the Falcons could play spoiler to Winston’s debut in 2022 by displaying a Falcons pass rush that is more dominant than Cameron Jordan.

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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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The Atlanta Falcons surely have to improve their wide receiver position this offseason, but there is another key position that needs a jolt: edge rusher. The Falcons recently cut ties with Dante Fowler Jr. and it’s obvious they need a prominent edge rusher to replace Fowler Jr. and chase down quarterbacks with Grady Jarrett. So, which free-agent pass rushers could the Falcons target? Well, here are a few strong options for ATL.

Derek Barnett

The former first-round pick Derek Barnett could be a nice value pick-up for the Falcons. Barnett has quality athletic ability and he’s had flashes in his career leading up to this point. Barnett recorded 6.5 sacks in 2019 and 5.5 sacks in 2020, but he only ousted two sacks in 2021.

If the Falcons decide to draft a pass rusher in round one strike big with a free agent edge rusher like Clowney, I’d love to see the Falcons pick up Barnett. “The Savage” has penalty issues, but he has a lot of upside as a modest run defender and pass rusher.

Jason Pierre-Paul

The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers unleashed 9.5 sacks in 2021 but unveiled a career-low 2.5 sacks in 12 games with the Bucs last season. The rook Joe Tryon and Pro Bowl edge rusher Shaq Barrett were beneficial to the Bucs success on defense, but they didn’t help JPP dominate the stat sheet.

I believe JPP is a second-tier pass rusher that the Falcons could realistically sign. He has the experience and juice to help another NFC South team opposing QBs that try to match points with the Falcons offense.

Ryan Kerrigan

Ryan Kerrigan isn’t a sexy pass rusher at this stage in his career, but that could fall into the Falcons favor. Kerrigan unveiled 5.5+ sacks in every season up until 2021. The 2011 draft pick has made four Pro Bowls in his career.

He rotated in Barnett and Brandon Graham last season, so he didn’t have his usual amount of opportunities to shine (two games started). He is still a valuable depth piece and the Falcons could be another modest, intriguing fit for his services.

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