Former Washington Huskies edge rusher Bralen Trice was officially placed on injured reserve after sustaining a torn ACL in the Atlanta Falcons’ first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, ending his season.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris moved quickly to fill the hole left by Trice on the defensive line.
New England Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon has had a bumpy off-season in Foxborough after failed contract conversations during the off-season while recovering from a torn biceps tendon. Things escalated in late July with a very visible confrontation occurring between himself and head coach Jerod Mayo.
He had since expressed his desire to stay with New England but is now going to make his home in Atlanta, where he will take Trice’s place this season and could act as a mentor to the former Washington star as he recovers.
Patriots trading pass rusher Matthew Judon to the Falcons for a 3rd-round pick. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/1OEvtM3Ds9
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2024
Before the injury, Trice was proving himself to be an integral part of the Atlanta defense and was listed as a second-teamer on the depth chart behind veteran Arnold Ebiketie.
“It’s always tough when you lose a rookie,” Morris said on Monday. “You lose a guy that you were about to count on on the edge, to be able to have a role and to be able to define his role and all those types of things.”
In the unfortunate business that is the NFL, Morris also expressed the need to fill Trice’s shoes quickly.
“He was defining a real role for us where he was a guy that can play on first and second down,” Morris said. “He brought some pass rush and some of those things. Now, you’ve got to find it elsewhere.”
The Falcons will send a third-round pick, what they used to select Trice, back to New England in exchange for Judon.