Tag: Matthew Judon

Draft spot reveal from Matthew Judon trade proves Patriots won big

The Patriots won big in the Matthew Judon trade

The New England Patriots traded Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons last summer for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Now, we know exactly what number that pick is expected to be.

With the Falcons finishing the year with an 8-9 record, the draft pick acquired by the Patriots will be the No. 77 pick overall.

That’s a solid return for the Patriots considering Judon is a pending free agent. He never extended his deal with the Falcons, and he’s still set to test the free agent market in 2025.

During his run with Atlanta, Judon only mustered 5.5 sacks on the season. He also added a pick-six and five pass deflections to his 2024 stat sheet. It wasn’t exactly the game-wrecking performance the Falcons were hoping for when forking over a top-100 draft pick for the four-time Pro Bowler.

The Patriots could use the pick to add another rookie draft pick or trade for an experienced veteran at a position of need. All options will surely be on the table as the team aims to get back to playoff contention.

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Former Patriots Pro Bowl LB Matthew Judon gets pick-six touchdown

The man with the red sleeves got a pick-six in Sunday’s game

Former New England Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon is up to his old game-wrecking ways with the Atlanta Falcons.

In Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, the veteran linebacker hauled in a deflected pass and took it to the house for six points. It was a beautiful heads-up play that poured onto an already lopsided lead for the Falcons in Atlanta.

Judon started the year in New England, but he was ultimately traded to the Falcons for a third-round draft pick before the start of the regular season. It has been a mostly disappointing run for the four-time Pro Bowler in Atlanta. However, plays like the pick-six against New York are proof that he’s capable of making a game-changing play at any moment.

The Patriots haven’t had much success in the pass-rushing department without Judon this season. But they have big hopes that players like Keion White and Anfernee Jennings can grow in the role.

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Matthew Judon with Falcons’ second pick-six against Giants

The Falcons were having a pick party against Drew Lock and the Giants

The remedy for any illness is playing the New York Giants in the NFL.

On Sunday it was the Atlanta Falcons who drew the Big Blue straw.

Michael Penix Jr. made his first start and had thrown one pick midway through the third quarter.

However, Drew Lock of the Giants was having no luck finding his team.

He threw a pick to Jessie Bates in the first half and then Matthew Judon came away with a deflected Lock pass and returned it 27 yards for a score.

After Bijan Robinson’s second TD, the Falcons were rolling, 31-7.

Falcons head coach gives honest answer about struggling edge rusher

Falcons head coach gives honest answer about struggling edge rusher Matthew Judon..

Recording sacks has been like pulling teeth for the Atlanta Falcons this season. After 11 games, the team ranks dead last in the NFL with just 10 total sacks. To help provide some perspective, the Carolina Panthers are ranked 31st in the league with 17 sacks.

While the Falcons’ aversion to recording sacks is nothing new, many thought the addition of outside linebacker Matthew Judon would help the team improve the pass rush. However, that hasn’t been the case thus far.

Despite producing eye-popping sack totals for much of his career, Judon has yet to be the difference-maker the team anticipated when trading for him back in August. From 2021-2023, Judon recorded 32 sacks in 38 games for the New England Patriots.

Even though he’s tied for the team lead with 2.5 sacks this season, Judon hasn’t looked like the same player. Morris gave an honest assessment of the linebacker’s production during Wednesday’s press conference, per team reporter Amna Subhan.

“To be quite honest, we’re looking for more, and I know he is also,” Morris said about Judon.

Judon likely would agree that his production hasn’t been up to par. Back in Week 8, the veteran pass rusher was asked to grade his first few games in Atlanta.

“I’d say a D,” Judon told The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. “I’ve just got to play better, more production, better numbers, better pressure rate, get the quarterback down more. That’s what I came here for.”

Fortunately for Judon, the Falcons have six weeks left to turn things around. Atlanta is in first place in the NFC South with an overall record of 6-5, but the team will need to find a way to create more pressure in order to snap a six-year postseason drought.

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Matthew Judon gives himself harsh grade after 7 games with Falcons

Falcons edge rusher Matthew Judon grades his performance over the first seven games…

The Atlanta Falcons have been far from perfect through the first seven weeks of the 2024 NFL season, but it’s tough to complain with the team sitting atop the NFC South with a 4-3 record.

While the offensive and defensive units have played well at times, the pass rush has been a glaring weakness thus far. The Falcons are ranked dead last in the league with six total sacks this season.

Sacks aren’t everything, but considering 27 teams have at least twice as many as Atlanta, it’s clearly a problem. The Falcons did little to address the edge position over the offseason, letting 2023 sack leaders Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell sign elsewhere.

After third-round pick Bralen Trice was placed on the injured reserve list, the team swung a trade for outside linebacker Matthew Judon. The former Patriot has been one of the most productive edge rushers in the NFL over the last three seasons.

While Judon is tied for the team lead with 1.5 sacks, he’s not happy with how he’s played during his first seven games in Atlanta. Judon was asked to grade his performance so far and did not hold back.

“I’d say a D,” Judon told The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. “I’ve just got to play better, more production, better numbers, better pressure rate, get the quarterback down more. That’s what I came here for.”

It’s definitely a drop in production for Judon, who racked up 32 sacks in 38 career games with the Patriots. The team’s pass-rushing problems are something head coach Raheem Morris is aware of.

“You gotta finish the plays off, right?” asked Morris. “You wanna have more, and we’ve got to play individually better, but we are rushing as a group better. Like the hurries, the pressures, the things of that nature, they’re going up. They’re on the uptick, but the only way you can end that question is if you go finish off sacks.”

The Falcons will look to get their pass rush on track this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sunday’s NFC South showdown kicks off at 1 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium.

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Patriots wide receiver dresses like Matthew Judon at practice

That’s not Matthew Judon. But who is it?

If you squinted hard enough, you might have thought four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon was back on the New England Patriots’ practice field on Thursday.

However, a closer look would reveal the player to actually be second-year wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. The former LSU standout is the new owner of the No. 9 jersey in New England, and he was also wearing Judon’s trademark long red sleeves.

Judon was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round draft pick back in August. He wasn’t just one of the best players on the team, but he was also one of the locker room leaders for the Patriots.

We’ll see if the look sticks for Boutte and if he becomes the new “man with the red sleeves” on the offensive side of the ball.

Burgeoning star pass-rusher Keion White appears to have the defensive side covered.

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ESPN names Falcons defender as ‘X factor’ for 2024 NFL season

ESPN named one X factor for each team, including the Falcons, entering the 2024 NFL season

The Falcons have been on the brink of a playoff berth for the last three seasons but due to poor play at the quarterback position, they haven’t been able to get over the hump. Over the 2024 NFL offseason, the team signed free agent Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix Jr. to solidify the quarterback position for the next decade.

Cousins undoubtedly makes Atlanta a better team, but the extra emphasis on quarterbacks caused some of the other positions to be overlooked. With lingering questions on defense, particularly in the secondary and outside linebacker position, the Falcons made two major moves just as training camp wrapped up.

First, the team traded a third-round pick to the Patriots for edge rusher Matthew Judon. Then, Atlanta signed Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons. Both players should have a noticeable impact on the defense this season. ESPN’s Ben Solak compiled a list of every NFL team’s “X factor” for 2024 and the 32-year-old Judon was selected for the Falcons:

Enter Judon, whose contract demands with New England concluded with a trade to the Falcons. Atlanta sent a third-round pick for the 32-year-old, which is a steep price — and it doesn’t have a contract extension in place with him, which makes things even trickier. Judon is a great sack artist. He doesn’t necessarily have high pressure rates, but when he gets to the quarterback, he consistently takes him down.

If he has one more good season in him, Atlanta’s defense will benefit tremendously. As long as they’re an average unit, and the offense is a good one (as expected), the Falcons might get that playoff appearance that has eluded them since the 2017 season. But if Judon is too far beyond his prime to deliver, there might not be enough edge-rushing depth to help him out. — Ben Solak, ESPN

As Solak pointed out, the Falcons lost their top two sack leaders from 2023 (Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree). Judon is a welcome addition who has played some of his best football over the last three years. In 2021, Judon racked up 12.5 sacks, then topped his career-high with 15.5 sacks in 2022.

While the former Patriots outside linebacker missed 13 games in 2023, he still finished with four sacks. Judon totaled 32 sacks over 38 games for the Patriots from 2021-2023.

The Falcons don’t have a ton of depth at outside linebacker, but third-year man Arnold Ebiketie has been a consistent source of pressure off the edge. Plus, Lorenzo Carter is a capable veteran with some versatility. The loss of rookie Bralen Trice prompted Atlanta to pull off the trade for Judon.

Unlike in recent seasons, the Falcons should have enough offensive firepower to overcome any defensive shortcomings. Perhaps that six-year postseason drought can finally end in 2024.

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Projecting the Falcons’ Week 1 starting lineups with PFF grades

Projecting the Falcons’ Week 1 starting lineups on offense and defense with PFF grades for each player

The Atlanta Falcons must trim their roster from 90 to 53 players by Tuesday’s cut deadline, but we’re not expecting many big surprises. There are a few players on the bubble with a shot to make the team and most helped themselves in Friday’s preseason finale.

Once the roster is settled, the Falcons can shift focus to their Week 1 matchup against Pittsburgh Steelers to open the 2024 NFL season. Former head coach Arthur Smith and running back Cordarrelle Patterson are set to return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on September 8.

Let’s check out the Falcons’ projected Week 1 starting lineups on offense and defense, featuring Pro Football Focus grades for each player:

Latest report on Matt Judon’s exit from Patriots paints ugly picture

The Patriots reportedly grew “sick” of Matthew Judon’s behavior

The latest report on the lead-up to the split between linebacker Matthew Judon and the New England Patriots doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

NFL insider Albert Breer shared some insight on the situation on NBC Sports Boston on Friday. According to Judon, the split was mostly due to the two sides never sitting down and having a face-to-face conversation about a contract extension.

However, Breer explained that things went deeper than just numbers on paper.

“Judon was not as well-liked by the coaches and front office people as you might have thought,” said Breer. “And that was really part of it in the end that they were just sick of him. They felt like there was a public face of Judon, and there was Judon behind the scenes.

“Judon behind the scenes has sort of become a little bit of an operator, and his act had worn thin with people inside the building. It’s something that was an issue in Baltimore, too. So it’s not saying he’s a bad guy, but there was some of this sort of cheerleader stuff on social media that a lot of people in the organization would roll their eyes at.”

Regardless of how things ended, it’s disappointing that the two sides weren’t able to come together and fix things.

Perhaps the situation worked out for the best in the end. Judon got traded to the Atlanta Falcons, and the Patriots got a 2025 third-round draft pick to use in their ongoing rebuild.

It really is a win-win for both sides.

Bears GM Ryan Poles revealed on Hard Knocks why he ultimately passed on a Matthew Judon trade

Bears GM Ryan Poles really did his homework about Matthew Judon.

With Caleb Williams in the fold, the Chicago Bears arguably have one of the NFL’s better rosters on paper. But if there’s a place where the Bears might still have a glaring hole, it’s that they don’t have a No. 2 edge pass rusher to pair up with franchise player Montez Sweat.

The Bears almost rectified this need with a trade for ex-New England Patriot Matthew Judon … before the Atlanta Falcons swooped in to finish the deal.

During the latest episode of Hard Knocks, Bears general manager Ryan Poles explained his apprehension behind making a move for Judon and why he ultimately passed on pulling the trigger for the difference-making veteran:

Everything about Poles’ thought process is sound and reasonable for a GM trying to build a consistent Super Bowl contender in Chicago.

Even at the age of 32, the Bears knew that Judon probably still had plenty left in the tank and that he would’ve wreaked a lot of havoc in their defense. But they weren’t sure if he would agree to a long-term extension with the organization. They had apparently even included a key provision in their trade proposal that the deal would revert Judon back to the Patriots if he didn’t sign on the dotted line with Chicago.

While a third-round draft pick for Judon sounds enticing at first glance, it’s ultimately a lot to give up for a potential rental for a Bears team that’s trying to win now but probably isn’t ready to compete for a championship just yet. Instead, riding with the developmental trajectory of promising rookie Austin Booker for four cost-controlled years makes much more sense. The Bears traded a future fourth-round draft selection to acquire the young defensive end from Kansas in April’s NFL Draft.

Poles did his due diligence to check on the possibility of a Judon addition. He did even better to remember the Bears have a long-term vision and that it’s better to let his current roster grow before he starts pushing all of his chips in.