Atlanta Falcons still in search of a consistent pass rush
The Atlanta Falcons have struggled the last few years when it comes to chasing down opposing quarterbacks. Will it be any different in 2020?
Dan Quinn was named the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and in five seasons with the club, he’s has amassed a combined 43-37 regular-season record and has taken the club to the playoffs twice.
Of course, in his second year on the job, the team finished 11-5, reached Super Bowl LI and owned a 28-3 third-quarter lead over the New England Patriots. But that’s reminiscing for another time.
Ironically, that 34-28 overtime loss saw the team get to Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady five times — three of those by defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. That was a year in which the team managed 34 sacks during the regular season, with second-year defensive end Vic Beasley leading the NFL which 16 quarterback traps.
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But dropping opposing signal-callers has been the exception rather than the rule for this team under Quinn. And he and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have done their damnedest to try to find a consistent pass rush. And now new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, with the organization since 2015, will try to address this glaring weakness as well.
Beasley was not in the team’s plans going forward and is now a member of the Tennessee Titans. Veteran Adrian Clayborn left for the Cleveland Browns. And 2017 first-round pick Takk McKinley, a disappointment to date, will not have his fifth-year option picked up.
Enter Dante Fowler Jr., late of the Los Angeles Rams, and former Miami Dolphins’ first-rounder Charles Harris, the latter recently obtained via trade for a seventh-round pick in 2021. This past season, the Falcons finished with just 28 sacks – tied for the second-fewest in the league.
It’s a division that had already featured Drew Brees. Now the Atlanta Falcons will be dealing with new Carolina Panthers’ starter Teddy Bridgewater as well as six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, now at the helm of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Keeping those three performers in check won’t be easy, especially if Quinn’s club continues to struggle when it comes to chasing down opposing quarterbacks.