Getty The Falcons could use an ex-NFL practice-squad player who is leading the USFL in sacks.
Pass rush has been an enduring problem for the Atlanta Falcons. The lengthy malaise reached its nadir in 2021, when the defense logged 18 sacks, the fewest in the NFL.
Attempts have been made to beef up the options on the edges, but those attempts may not bear as much fruit as expected. There’s still room to add another gifted pass-rusher via free agency, even if that player is currently bossing quarterbacks in another league.
The Falcons have been advised to hand a contract to the most prolific edge-rusher in the USFL. He’s failed to stick with three NFL teams, including the Falcons, but this player has found his niche in the Spring and Summer format, posting double-digit sacks in just nine games.
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USFL Edge Could Transform Falcons’ Front Seven
In his list of seven free agents who could turn struggling teams around, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine had an interesting suggestion for the Falcons. He identified Houston Gamblers defensive end Chris Odom.
Ballentine cited numbers from Pro Football Focus to show how well the 27-year-old has taken to life in the USFL: “He has been a level above any other edge-rusher in the USFL. He’s racked up 50 pressures while the next-highest player has 38, and he has a pass-rush win rate of 25 percent, per Eric Eager of Pro Football Focus. He leads the league with 11 sacks.”
Odom’s dominance is also summed up by the fact his 11 sacks put him three clear at the top of the league’s leaderboard:
Chris Odom leads the league with ELEVEN sacks! Watch them all here 😤
@Chrisodom98 | #ALLIN 🎲
The jump in numbers is staggering from a journeyman who spent time on the practice squads of three NFL franchises, including the Falcons. Odom also had stints with the Green Bay Packers and Washington, as well as the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
First signed by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Odom rejoined the team in 2019 but was released later the same year. A third tour with the team makes sense as a low-cost, low-risk move for both parties.
Returning to Atlanta would give Odom the chance to prove his recent resurgence is no fluke. It would also put a prodigious pressure specialist into a position group with a lot to prove.
Falcons Edge-Rushers are Unproven
The only free-agent signing of note dedicated to fixing the pass rush was Lorenzo Carter. He finished last season strongly, recording five sacks in his final four games, but Carter never notched more than five QB takedowns in a season during four years with the New York Giants.
Carter has raw talent, but he lacks the pedigree to suggest he’s going to turn into a prolific game-wrecker overnight. It means there’ll be more onus on rookies Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone, the Falcons’ second and third-round draft picks this year, to produce early.
If neither Ebiketie nor Malone can get off to a fast start in the pros, the Falcons will again struggle to put enough heat on opposing passers. It’s why there surely has to be room for somebody with Odom’s core skills.
More than once this season, Odom has enjoyed a multi-sack game for the Gamblers:
Chris Odom had more sacks in Week 6 than 3 teams did 🤯
He’s also proved his flair for the big play isn’t just limited to getting to the quarterback:
Obviously, there’s a significant gulf in quality and competition between the USFL and the established league. Yet, that doesn’t mean players from the former can’t make it a level up.
Ballentine gave the example of tight end Donald Parnham Jr., who “turned an XFL stint in 2020 into a gig with the Los Angeles Chargers and caught three touchdowns last season.”
The USFL’s heyday in the 1980s saw several players make the jump, including the great Reggie White, future Hall of Famer Sam Mills and eventual Super Bowl winners Maurice Carthon and Kelvin Bryant.
There’s every reason for the Falcons to cast as wide a net as possible to fix their issues generating pressure. Handing Odom a situational role could give this rebuilding pass rush the oomph it needs.