The Falcons made a pair of veteran defensive additions not long before the start of the season. One of those was the trade acquisition of Matt Judon, but another move along the edge could be coming. 
Atlanta is “very open” to bringing in more help in the pass-rush department, Sports Illustrated’s Albert notes. Judon racked up 1.5 sacks during his first two Falcons games, but he has been held without one in four weeks since then. Overall, the team has posted only five sacks, the fewest in the league this season.
Improving in that department has long been an organizational need, so it would come as little surprise if a depth move were to be made before the November 5 deadline. Atlanta currently sits 20th in the league in terms of cap space with $8.9MM in available funds. That could make a low-cost addition (especially for a rental) a feasible option if the 4-2 outfit adopts a buyer’s stance over the coming weeks.
Someone like Maxx Crosby – who offered a less-than-conclusive stance on his Raiders future – would represent a blockbuster target for the Falcons or any number of other teams aiming to take a major step forward in production along the edge. Far more realistic targets, as Breer notes, are players like Za’Darius Smith (Browns), Jadeveon Clowney (Panthers) and, if the 2-5 Saints were to try and add draft capital midway through what may well be a lost season, Chase Young. Only the latter is a pending free agent, whereas Smith and Clowney are under contract through the 2025 season.
While Atlanta will continue to rely on Grady Jarrett as a key pass-rushing presence along the defensive interior, the team will also be looking to the likes of Judon, Lorenzo Carter and Arnold Ebiketie along the edge. Third-round rookie Bralen Trice would have been positioned to handle a rotational role this year, but he tore his ACL in the preseason, meaning his Falcons debut will be delayed until 2025. Before that point, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot could be in the market for a stop-gap addition.
Death, Taxes and the Falcons with no pass rush
Not that it would actually happen, but a package built around Penix and Allgeier for Crosby would be an amazing twist.
If they had selected Dallas Turner/Jared Verse, maybe that would have helped the pass rush.
I know it’s a troll comment, but seriously had they invested in the trenches rather than Penix Jr, they wouldn’t be encountering these issues in middle of the year,
Glad we drafted an old quarterback with injury problems at #8 to sit for a couple of years
Maybe watch some college football, because Penix isn’t an “old quarterback with injury problems”… that’s why a prospect’s college tape and intangibles is worth more than Combine numbers that front offices obsess over.
lol what? He is old for an NFL draft pick and he has had injury problems. Not sure how tape is going to erase those facts.
Maybe Penix will be good but the reality is that if they went for Cousins they want to win now. If they want to win now they could have chosen better at 8.
If the Panthers are willing to move Clowney, as they probably should be, the Falcons are pretty close by and could play to both the player’s and the team’s satisfaction. Charlotte has the advantage of being almost in the same city where Clowney grew up, and the Panthers represent his home state, but Atlanta is the next closest option in what has turned out to be an awful season.
Personally, I think that Clowney made an enormous mistake in moving to a downtrodden team that lacks identity, consistency, of defensive stability up front (with all due respect to Brown, Carolina’s pass rush has not been consistent, since even before losing their only plus edge player in Burns) from his perfect fit in Baltimore. However, having Judon on the other side could help his production, and having a better environment may as well. Given how underwhelming his season has been, he really should not be expensive. Z’Darius is a more pass rush tooled player who would also figure to be a good pairing, if Atlanta can pry him away. I don’t figure that he would be immensely expensive, either, and would likely provide better pass rush value specifically than Clowney.
Also…I point this out reluctantly, and I know that it won’t be popular, but when listing items, it’s confusing to use the word “latter” when it’s more than two.
If we could get Reddick or Crosby I would be so happy