Getty One of the most versatile edge defenders still on the market has been named a "possibility" for the Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons still need pass rush help all over the front seven. So far, the only move to fix a defense that registered a league-low 18 sacks last season has been to sign former New York Giants edge-rusher Lorenzo Carter.
General manager Terry Fontenot can do more, starting with adding a roving defensive lineman capable of making plays from anywhere along the front. This versatile free agent is still on the market, despite already visiting with teams, and he wouldn’t break the bank for the cash-strapped Falcons.
What’s more this diamond in the rough, who has plied his trade in the NFC West, has also been named a “possibility” for the Falcons by one NFL analyst.
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One of the Gems of Free Agency on Falcons’ Radar
Falcons analyst Cam Marino has identified the edge defender the Falcons could still sign:
Signing EDGE Rasheem Green is a possibility in Atlanta, I’m told. The Ravens are also high on Green, as are multiple other teams.
I like Green’s fit in ATL. He’d give them their sturdy 5T edge that Fontenot is used to having. Almost gives me a John Franklin-Myers type of vibe.
As Marino mentioned, Rasheem Green hasn’t been short of suitors. He met with the Baltimore Ravens recently, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Ravens regularly make use for defensive linemen who can play in multiple spots. They are also more ready to contend for the playoffs in 2022 than the Falcons.
Yet, there is a more immediate connection between the Falcons and Green. It concerns him sharing the agent as Cordarrelle Patterson, Sean Kiernan, per Marino.
The Falcons ought to milk this connection for all it’s worth because Green is an ideal fit for defensive coordinator Dean Pees’ schemes. Pees likes a multiple version of the 3-4 defense and he’d surely find plenty of use for a player with Green’s versatility.
Green logged 6.5 sacks with the Seattle Seahawks last season. Hardly an eye-popping number, but it would have been enough to lead the Falcons in sacks.
More than the numbers, Green is an asset because of the many ways he can wreck offenses. He can win on the edge, the way he did for this sack of Aaron Rodgers against the Green Bay Packers from Week 10:
The Falcons need edge-rushers who can get to the passer consistently. Green and Carter fit the bill, but pressure has to come from everywhere along the line of scrimmage.
Green’s greater value to the Falcons could be playing inside. Here’s a breakdown from Sports Illustrated‘s Jordan Pun of Green making an impact from defensive tackle in four and five-man fronts:
3. Rasheem Green, DE/DT, SEA, 24 y/o
At 6’4, 279, Green is a bigger DL who would provide some versatility for the #Texans. He can play 7-tech DE and 3-tech DT and had 10 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 18 hits, 32 pressures last season. He’s like a bull in a china shop with untapped potential.
Putting Green into the lineup would increase the number of looks Pees is able to show offenses this year.
Falcons Can Spread Cost of Pass-Rush Revival
By opting for a few solid pros with upside, like Carter and Green, the Falcons can spread the cost of reviving a dormant pass rush. Handing the pressure duties to a few intriguing options will be cheaper than trying to make a splash on a single, marquee name.
Of course, the Falcons hardly have the means to make such a splash. The team is currently projected by Spotrac.com to be $3,225,027 over the salary cap.
It’s why bargain hunting has been Fontenot’s best way of navigating this free-agency market. He found good value with Carter, who only set the Falcons back a modest $2.5 million this year, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic:
Lorenzo Carter contract details with the Falcons, per source: 1 year, $3.5M with $2M guaranteed. The Falcons added a void year to push half of his $2M signing bonus to 2023, so his cap hit this year will be $2.5M.
That’s significantly cheaper than what a similar short-term deal for an established edge-rusher like Justin Houston, Jadeveon Clowney or Melvin Ingram may cost.
The Falcons also might not want to pay top-10 pick money to a pass-rusher from the first round of the 2022 NFL draft class. Not when the team still has glaring needs at wide receiver and along the offensive line.
Fontenot should work some contract magic to 24-year-old secure Green on team-friendly terms. All Seahawks writer Corbin K. Smith gave an idea of what those terms might look like when he projected a two-year contract worth $7.5 million back in February.
The Falcons would surely be able to make room for this contract if Fontenot reworked the money owed nose tackle Grady Jarrett or middle linebacker Deion Jones.