Led by Grady Jarrett and Takkarist McKinley, there isn’t much else on the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line worth mentioning that’s under contract for 2020. A total and complete rebuild is needed and with the Falcons in the cap situation they are in, some restructuring of the defensive line will have to take place through the draft.
2019 Depth Chart and Results
DT Grady Jarrett
69 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, 12 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles
DE Takkarist McKinley
29 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 QB hits, 7 tackles-for-loss
DT Tyeler Davison
55 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 4 tackles-for-loss, 1 fumble recovery
DE Vic Beasley
42 tackles, 8 sacks, 12 QB hits, 8 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass deflections
DE Adrian Clayborn
18 tackles, 4 sacks, 7 QB hits, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 forced fumbles
DL Allen Bailey
26 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 4 tackles-for-loss
DT Jack Crawford
24 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 5 QB hits, 1 tackle-for-loss
DL John Cominsky
11 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, 2 pass deflections
DL Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
14 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 tackle-for-loss, 1 forced fumble
DT Deadrin Senat
1 QB hit
DE Austin Larkin
1 special teams tackle
DT Michael Bennett
On injured reserve the entire season
DE Steven Means
On injured reserve the entire season
DT Ra’Shede Hageman
On injured reserve the entire season
Current 2020 Contracts
DT Grady Jarrett
3 years left at $19.02 million average
DE Takkarist McKinley
1 year left at $3.25 million with a fifth-year option
DL Allen Bailey
1 year left at $5.984 million
DT Deadrin Senat
2 years left at $955,990 average
DL John Cominsky
3 years left at $797,098 average
DL Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
1 year left at $585,000
DE Austin Larkin
1 year left at $585,000
Pending Free Agents: What Happens?
DT Jack Crawford
Jack Crawford is a prime candidate to come back for depth on a veteran minimum deal. He played through his three years with the Falcons playing in 36 of the 48 games he was under contract for due to an injury in the 2017 season. In 2018, Crawford had six sacks, but he never really showed that he was a true starter after that. In 2019, he played minimal snaps and will be fighting for reserve role.
DT Tyeler Davison
When Saints players come to Atlanta, they tend to take a nosedive. Tyeler Davison did not follow that path, though. He’s not traditionally known as a pass rusher, but he had arguably his best year as a run stuffer for the Falcons with four tackles-for-loss to match his career high and 55 total tackles —most of which came against the run. Davison has shown he’s a good piece for the Falcons to have and should be back on a cheap deal.
DE Vic Beasley
The Atlanta Falcons are already admitting that they’ll let the pass rusher who ranks No. 5 all-time in sacks for the franchise to leave in free agency. Beasley’s play was a big part of the team’s 2016 success, but since he hasn’t been able to duplicate it, the Falcons are making the smart move letting him walk.
DE Adrian Clayborn
The Falcons continually bring back Adrian Clayborn because he seems to love playing under Dan Quinn, and his pass rush stats back it up. He’s averaging around 5.6 sacks per season with the Falcons. Clayborn does a great job of penetrating through the line in nickel sets and bending the edge in base sets. If Atlanta can get away with bringing him back for the veteran minimum again, the team would be wise to do so.
DT Michael Bennett
No, he’s not that Michael Bennett. But in limited action, Bennett has shown he’s a competent defensive tackle against the run with some decent pass-rush ability. He’s another one of those players that should see a veteran minimum deal that allows the Falcons some cap flexibility.
DE Steven Means
Injuries have sidelined Steven Means for the 2019 season, but the Falcons should definitely try and bring him back for in 2020. His 2018 season was solid and because of his injury and contract already being small, Atlanta should be able to get away with paying him the veteran minimum level deal. Means should then parlay that into a chance at playing in the base packages for the Falcons’ defense in 2020.
DT Ra’Shede Hageman
Ra’Shede Hageman was given a final shot to make an impact and rarely played. It’s at the point in Hageman’s career where giving up on him feels like the absolute right move. Let him walk in the offseason and see if he can stick elsewhere. Atlanta just isn’t the place for him anymore.
Possible Cuts
DL Allen Bailey
If the Falcons cut Allen Bailey, they could save nearly $4.5 million for the 2020 season. While Bailey was a good run stuffer, cutting him and taking the cap savings to use towards either retaining Austin Hooper or adding more defensive line talent would be the right move.
Free Agents to Consider
DL Arik Armstead
One of the best free agents in the 2020 class is Arik Armstead. He’s a monster run defender who finally put together his pass rush in 2019. The question behind Armstead is whether it was just a contract year fluke or if he really has the chops to continue his success long-term. If he can continue his success year in and year out, the Falcons would be wise to try and use him as a base strong-side end and slide him inside next to Jarrett in the nickel.
DT Dontari Poe
Big and nasty is one way to describe Dontari Poe. While the former Falcon has potential to be cut in 2020 due to a high cap number, he might be willing to come back to Atlanta and reprise the role he had in 2017 where he was dominant in the middle as a nose tackle. The team could easily use the help. Poe’s abilities against both the run and the pass make him valuable, and a deal around $6-7 million per season would be around where he should sign.
DE Robert Quinn
Robert Quinn went from a terror as a pass rusher to a mediocre talent after the 2014 season. It was tough to figure out why. But with the Cowboys in 2019, he saw a bit of a career resurgence playing across from Tank Lawrence. Quinn could be worth a flyer one-year deal worth around $6 million if he’s willing to come in and teach Takk McKinley to tools of the trade.
DE Donte Fowler
There have been few careers as frustrating as Donte Fowler’s. After busting in Jacksonville in the 2015 and 2016 seasons due mainly to injuries and recovering from them, he had a solid year in 2017 with eight sacks. The problem is he couldn’t duplicate it the next season. Unless he’s willing to take something like a three-year, $12 million deal, the risk on a contract year breakout player just isn’t worth the reward.
Best Fits in the 2020 NFL Draft
NT Leki Fotu, Utah
The Falcons have missed having a massive penetrating defensive tackle since Dontari Poe left the squad in the 2018 offseason. They can remedy that by bringing back Poe or drafting someone who’s extremely similar to him in Leki Fotu. The massive 6-foot-5, 340-pound Fotu would be a great space eating presence next to Grady Jarrett on run downs. His pass rushing needs some refinement, but he’s a monster who has the power and speed to do it.
DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
One of the best defensive tackles in the draft is Justin Madubuike. He’s a natural 3-technique pass rusher who can play the 1-technique in base sets and nickel sets alike as well. He’s a longer player and built closer to a guy like Corey Peters than anyone else. His talent is on a higher level though. He plays with insane leverage and regularly had SEC offensive linemen on their backs.
DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
Iowa’s resident Patrick Kerney clone in A.J. Epenesa would be a perfect fit in the Falcons’ defense. While he’s not the same kind of player that Michael Bennett was, he could be used in a similar fashion and his rotation with John Cominsky in that role would help against the run. The pass rush would also improve in nickel sets as Epenesa is a natural there who’s only real issue is his lack of lateral mobility.
DE K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State
A linebacker/defensive end hybrid player like K’Lavon Chaisson will bring some fans thoughts of Vic Beasley back into the fold. However, Chaisson is like if Beasley had better hand usage and stronger pass-rushing moves coming out of college. Oh, and he’s a solid overall run defender.
Out-of-Box Move to Consider
Trading up in the draft for DE Chase Young
A shocking move that the Falcons could make would be to trade their first round pick in 2020, their second round pick from the Patriots in 2020 and their first and second round picks in 2021 to move to No. 2 overall. They would then take Chase Young, who is the best pass rusher to come out in around a decade. That’s how good he is.
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