2:18pm: The Falcons have confirmed Upshaw’s visit and announced that free agent guard Ted Larsen is also in town to meet with the team today (Twitter link). Larsen has 57 career NFL starts for the Cardinals and Buccaneers.
11:29am: More than two weeks into free agency, free agent outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw remains unsigned, but it appears a new suitor has emerged. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Upshaw is set to pay a visit to the Falcons. ESPN’s Vaughn McClure confirms (via Twitter) that the visit is taking place today.
A second-round pick in 2012 out of Alabama, Upshaw didn’t miss a regular-season game for the Ravens in his four seasons with the team, making 51 starts, but he never really made the sort of impact the team may have expected. In his four NFL seasons, the 26-year-old has struggled to get to opposing quarterbacks, totaling just five sacks. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 84th out of 110 edge defenders, assigning him a much higher grade against the run than as a pass rusher.
The Falcons may be in the market for a replacement for O’Brien Schofield at their outside linebacker spot — a reunion between the Falcons and Schofield hasn’t been ruled out, but the veteran free agent said last week that the two sides weren’t “seeing eye-to-eye” in contract talks, so it appears Atlanta is exploring other options.
So far in free agency, Upshaw has reportedly visited the Jets, with the Ravens, 49ers, and Patriots among the other teams cited as potential suitors.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
He’s a terrific edge-setter–I would argue he’s even better against the run than his PFF grade indicates–but he never blossomed into the pass-rushing force that the team hoped for. There is still a place for a player like him in the league, though, and he is a nice player to have in the rotation on running downs.