Atlanta Falcons: 3 Early breakout candidates on defense for 2020
Which Atlanta Falcons defensive players could enjoy a breakout 2020 season?
A big part that will play into the success of the Atlanta Falcons during the 2020 NFL season comes on the defensive side of the ball and their ability to consistently put pressure on opposing teams.
After missing out on the postseason for a second consecutive season in 2019, Atlanta looks to shore up some holes on that side of the ball while trying to retool in order to get back to the playoffs and end that streak this year.
On the defensive side of the field, the Falcons struggled early on in the year a season ago, which was part of the reason why they ended up losing seven of their first eight games of the regular season. In the second half of the 16-game schedule, however, Atlanta’s defense started to step up and play more consistently which allowed its high-powered offense to outscore opponents week-in and week-out.
In 2019, the Falcons defense ranked 20th in the NFL in yards given up per game (355.8), ranked 23rd in the league in points allowed per contest (24.9) and finished with a total of 20 takeaways (12 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries), which was tied for 19th in the NFL.
As Atlanta tries to improve those marks this year, the tough task will be that it now suddenly has an even more talented NFC South division to go up against in six regular-season matchups. During the offseason, the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers all beefed up their teams and most notably their offenses.
With those additions to other teams, the Falcons have been able to add some intriguing pieces to the defense in Atlanta, most notably edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. via free agency and others through the 2020 NFL Draft and the undrafted free agency process.
There is no question that the Falcons consist of one of the top offensive units in the NFL, but their defense will have to work to improve in order to allow that offensive group to expand leads throughout any given game.
That will mean multiple players will have to step up and perform well with a bit of a shift of personnel in Atlanta, and there are some players on the defensive side of the ball that could see breakout seasons in 2020.
Now that the 16-game regular-season schedule is set and the season continues to approach, let’s take a look at three players who could see the largest amount of improvement on defense this season and who could experience breakout performances during regular season.