For years, the Atlanta Falcons were a team known mostly for their offensive proficiency. Longtime staples such as quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones were once the faces of the team while the defense continuously ranked in the bottom half of the league.
After a busy offseason, Atlanta is hoping to finally change that narrative this season. The team invested considerable resources on defense, signing Calais Campbell, David Onyemata and Jessie Bates III to a unit that already featured two stars in Grady Jarrett and A.J. Terrell.
The Falcons’ aggressive approach has convinced Jarrett that the defense can become the strength of this team in 2023.
“I envision this team being a really strong defensive team,” Jarrett told Falcons reporters on Tuesday. “At the core, I think we’re going to be really strong up front on the offense and defensive line. So I think that’s really going to drive us forward.”
When asked about the free-agent additions, Jarrett sounded optimistic about what Onyemata and Campbell are going to bring, especially in terms of leadership ability.
“To have a guy like David Onyemata come in is going to be great,” Jarrett continued. “To have a leader like Calais Campbell come in is going to be crazy. It’s almost like reminiscing of when we had Dwight Freeney come in my second year. When you get a legend of the game to come in, because Calais is that, it just raises the bar for everybody.”
The Falcons have improved on defense, but they’ve also invested a lot of money into their offensive line. Right guard Chris Lindstrom signed a record extension and right tackle Kaleb McGary returned on a three-year deal.
#Falcons offseason so far:
– Signed S Jessie Bates
– Signed DL Calais Campbell
– Signed DT David Onyemata
– Re-signed RT Kaleb McGary
– Traded for CB Jeff Okudah
– Traded for TE Jonnu Smith
– Signed LB Kaden Ellis
– Signed QB Taylor Heinicke
– Signed WR Scotty Miller
– Signed CB…— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 11, 2023
Jarrett also stated how important it was to retain guys like Lindstrom and McGary, not just because of how talented both players are, but because it raises the intensity of practice each day.
“That’s important for me too because those are the guys we train against, so if you’re training against the best, you’re only going to get better,” said Jarrett.
