Just 13 days after signing a new deal with the Atlanta Falcons, veteran defensive tackle, Eddie Goldman, is retiring.
Per the team’s official Twitter, Goldman informed the Falcons of his decision on July 19.
Eddie Goldman has informed the Falcons he’s going to retire.
Goldman initially inked a one-year contract with Atlanta and was set to make $1.12 million with $895,000 of his salary guaranteed this fall.
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Goldman Is a Former 2nd Round Pick
Goldman initially entered the league in 2015 as a second-round pick (39th overall) by the Chicago Bears during the NFL Draft.
He made an immediate impact as a rookie, logging 39 tackles and six tackles for loss through 15 games and finished the season ranked fourth among rookies with 4.5 sacks. He was also named Mel Kiper Jr.’s All-Rookie Team and Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie Team.
Goldman was on track to be Chicago’s starting nose tackle but a high ankle injury cut his season short, thus only getting five starts.
He bounced back in 2017 and played in 15 games with 14 starts where he recorded 1.5 sacks, 44 combined tackles, five quarterback hits and a fumble recovery.
The next year, Goldman signed a four-year extension worth $42 million with $25 million guaranteed. He ended the 2018 season with an 89.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 12th among interior defenders across the league.
And in 2019 Goldman was finally selected for the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
When Covid-19 hit in 2020, Goldman decided to step away from the Bears and focus on his health. He returned last fall where he played in 14 games and logged half a sack with 22 tackles.
After six seasons in Chicago, the Bears released him this past March.
In total, Goldman logged 175 tackles, 13 sacks, and a fumble recovery in 81 games for the Bears.
Good News for Third-Year DL Marlon Davidson
While this news is disappointing for a Falcons’ defense that could have used Goldman’s veteran experience, it potentially means good news for third-year defensive lineman Marlon Davison, who was tipped to be cut.
While still under Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff, Atlanta drafted Davidson in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
At the time, Davidson was deemed the “most savage” player to come out of the draft. And his comments post-draft had Falcons fans believing they were getting a monster on the d-line. However, that wasn’t the case as injuries and COVID-19 limited Davidson’s rookie year to only eight games and 132 snaps.
Fast forward to 2021 under a new coaching staff, the hope then was that a healthy Marlon would be able to join forces with top defender Grady Jarrett in Dean Pees’ 3-4 scheme. But that ended up not being the case as more injuries and COVID-19, once again, derailed Davidson’s second season in the league. He played just 270 snaps through 11 games last fall.
Now entering his third year, the former second-round pick has a lot to prove and must stay healthy if he wants a future in Atlanta. However, with Goldman hitting retirement, he’ll have one less player to compete with through training camp.
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Falcons Lose Freshly Signed DT to Retirement