Atlanta Falcons: 3 Offseason moves to return to playoffs next season

1. Acquire or draft a pass rusher

Perhaps the biggest need that the Atlanta Falcons will likely look to take care of and make a move for during the offseason in preparation for the 2020 season surrounds acquiring or drafting a pass rusher to help boost the Atlanta defense.

Going into the offseason ahead, the Falcons will need to look either in the draft or throughout free agency — or both — for one, maybe two players who can offer a constant presence on the defensive line and pressure the opposing quarterback.

Atlanta already has Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett within its defensive line, so being able to add another player that can provide the Falcons with a consistent pass rusher would be a big addition to the Atlanta defense.

Throughout the 2019 campaign, the Falcons defense managed to record just 28 sacks on the defensive side of the ball, which was tied for the second-worst total in the NFL behind only the Miami Dolphins with 23.

Atlanta did manage to hold opposing offenses to averaging just 110.9 yards per game in the rushing attack, which ranked 15th in the league. That is at least one positive that the Falcons did manage to accomplish on defense, which is a credit to both the defensive line and the rest of the Atlanta defensive unit.

The Falcons do have some expiring contracts coming up with this offseason, which could offer Atlanta the capability to look elsewhere and bring in a pass rusher or two on defense going into the 2020 season.

If the Falcons are able to either find a pass-rushing talent in the draft or sign one in free agency this offseason, that will help boost the defense to try and continue to put pressure on opposing offenses going into the regular season next year.