The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more productive linebacking corps in the NFL, but they got away with having very little depth throughout the season.
Deion Jones and Foye Oluokun are going into 2020 as the team’s primary linebackers, but who will join them for the upcoming campaign? The Falcons could stand to add some depth and a strong-side linebacker starter. Here’s a breakdown of the position, with possible free agents and draft picks Atlanta could consider in the offseason.
2019 Depth Chart and Results
LB Deion Jones
110 tackles, 4 QB hits, 8 tackles-for-loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 5 pass deflections, 1 defensive touchdown
LB De’Vondre Campbell
129 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, 6 tackles-for-loss, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 5 pass deflections
LB Foye Oluokun
56 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss, 1 fumble forced
LB Kemal Ishmael
41 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss, 1 fumble forced
LB Duke Riley
13 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
Traded to the Eagles before the trade deadline
Current 2020 Contracts
LB Deion Jones
3 years left for $11.155 million average
LB Foye Oluokun
2 years left for $741,657 average
LB Ahmad Thomas
1 year left for $660,000
Pending Free Agents: What Happens?
LB De’Vondre Campbell
While the Falcons would love to keep the man who led the team in tackles the last two seasons, De’Vondre Campbell may be pricing himself out of what the Falcons can afford for his role. Campbell is best served as a strong-side linebacker who blitzes exotically in different sets. Having him cover on over half of his plays isn’t where he’s best utilized, but that seems to be how Dan Quinn wanted to use him at times. His projected contract of around $7-8 million per season seems a bit too rich for what Atlanta uses him for.
LB Kemal Ishmael
The long-time veteran Kemal Ishmael has been one of the best seventh-round picks of Thomas Dimitroff’s tenure. First used in Mike Smith’s defense as a strong safety, Ishmael has turned it around as a linebacker later in his career. His early comparison to Coy Wire continues to make more and more sense as he turns into a true special teams ace and a long-term reserve linebacker. The Falcons should be able to bring him back for around $1 million per year.
Possible Cuts
None.
Free Agents to Consider
LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
What’s interesting about a guy like Kevin Pierre-Louis is how he can be effective at three different aspects of linebacker play — short zones, playing the run, and intermediate zones — but coaching staffs have no idea how to use him. He has great size and athleticism, and the right team would use him correctly. Atlanta bringing him in as a depth linebacker would be ideal as he could play both weak-side and middle effectively.
LB Jeremiah Attaochu
One of the bigger draft misses of the past decade that I’ve had is Jeremiah Attaochu. He should have been much better than he showed, but he could never put it all together for the Chargers and has spent the last two seasons trying to find roles for the Jets and Broncos. In Atlanta, a role similar to what De’ Vondre Campbell played on base downs with some snaps as an outside pass rusher in the nickel could be just what the doctor ordered to fix his career. Attaochu could have the same impact as Vic Bealsey, tallying five or six sacks for a tenth of the cost.
LB Deone Bucannon
When Deone Bucannon went to the Cardinals in 2014, it was with the idea that he’d complement Daryl Washington in the middle of the defense. It turned out that he had to replace him. As Todd Bowles left Arizona, so did Bucannon’s effectiveness. However, the Falcons could use Bucannon in nickel sets and base sets as a weak-side linebacker to complement Deion Jones, while helping to spell Foye Oluokun. Bucannon isn’t what he once was as a leader of a defense, but he’s still an asset for a team that needs depth.
Best Fits in the 2020 NFL Draft
LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
Kenneth Murray has potential to be a first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s a talented run defender, but he has very solid coverage skills as well. He’s smart and a true leader of a defense. The problems he has come from his slow processing on the field. He doesn’t seem to trust his instincts even though they are leading him the right direction from the jump. If Jeff Ulbrich got a hold of him, that would change drastically.
LB Josh Uche, Michigan
If the Falcons were looking for an ideal strong-side linebacker, Josh Uche out of Michigan should be who they go after. He’s solid enough in underneath coverage to be effective there, but his real abilities shine when he’s shooting gaps against the run or as a pass rusher. The Falcons could have Uche play the role that Dan Quinn originally envisioned for Vic Beasley, and he compares favorably to a young Bruce Irvin. Uche could be a good pick in the second round.
LB Troy Dye, Oregon
If you wanted to carbon copy De’Vondre Campbell into a player at the college level, Troy Dye would be what you came out with. Dye is a talented coverage player and run defender. But he does get bullied around occasionally and will have trouble maintaining his gap discipline at times. The Falcons would really need to coach him up to be ready for the 2020 season unless they just want to use him as depth and hope that a free agent signing addresses the starting strong-side linebacker role.
Out-of-Box Move the Falcons Should Consider
Trading up into the top 10 for LB/S Isaiah Simmons
Sometimes, the best way to improve a defense isn’t to add a defensive lineman or a linebacker, but rather to bring in a play-maker to the middle of the defense. Isaiah Simmons is the best linebacker or safety in this draft. His build is similar to that of Kam Chancellor, but he has athleticism closer to Taylor Mays. He’s one of the stronger all-around players in this draft.
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