The Falcons’ pass rush is a potential trouble spot again. Who will lead the way for Atlanta?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Atlanta Falcons don’t have a clear road to a great pass rush in 2024. They’ll once again be relying upon several capable players instead of a couple of great ones, and while that can work, you need good health and good fortune for it to pay off in a significant way.
Take the 2023 Falcons. The team posted its highest sack total in years and got solid contributions from several players, and especially in the early-to-middle part of the season, that led to some fine defense being played. But Atlanta still ranked 32nd in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric, while Pro Football Reference had their pressure numbers in the middle of the pack amongst NFL teams and their sack total tied for 22nd in the league. This was not an elite group, and considering this group shed Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell, it’s hard to feel optimistic about a major step forward in 2024.
A solid pass rush is still within reach, however, and someone will have to lead the way in sacks. The discussion question for you this fine Saturday morning is this: Who is it going to be?
I’ve been wrestling with whether it’ll be Grady Jarrett, who I imagine would have led the team had he remained healthy all year, or Arnold Ebiketie. In the end, I think I’ll go with a young player whose productions has been on the rise even if he hasn’t shown himself to be a consistent force yet and say Ebiketie, who I think will end up with seven or eight sacks this year.
I’ll hope someone comes out of nowhere and the Falcons get big-time production out of their rebuilt defensive line, rookie Bralen Trice, and stalwarts like Jarrett, Ebiketie, and David Onyemata. Who do you have leading the way?