Getty The Falcons can swap a 2017 Pro-Bowler for a star of the USFL.
Inside linebacker is one position that’s undergone a whole lot of upheaval for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. Losing a key player in free agency prompted wholesale changes.
Those changes have been based on finding players better suited to the defensive scheme coordinator Dean Pees implemented a year ago. General manager Terry Fontenot has sought to equip Pees with bigger, more physical linebackers for the heart of the front seven.
A new rotation looks set, but there is still one big question mark. It concerns the future of a 2017 Pro-Bowler who played on the Falcons’ last Super Bowl team.
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His future is in doubt thanks to injury concerns and a hefty contract. The Falcons can solve this problem by turning to one of the stars of the USFL, a linebacker who went from jumping from one practice squad to another in the NFL to leading spring football in tackles.
USFL Stat Leader An Ideal Replacement for 2nd-RD Pick
Deion Jones is still on the roster, despite being widely expected to move on this offseason. Perhaps the Falcons are waiting until they find the right replacement for the player drafted in the second round in 2016.
The right replacement can come from the USFL, in the form of Donald Payne. He was the leading tackler in the spring league, registering 117 total stops for the Houston Gamblers.
Payne also helped himself to three interceptions and a pair of pick-sixes, including this score against the New Orleans Breakers:
Payne’s all-action performances have prompted some, including NBC Sports’ Paul Burmeister, to name the 27-year-old as a player NFL teams should give a chance to this summer.
Writing for Peter King’s Football Morning in America, Burmeister detailed how the “USFL gave Payne a chance to prove he was healthy, and to remind NFL scouts that even as an undersized middle linebacker (6-0, 225), he wouldn’t get swallowed up inside, could fend off 330-pound linemen and run down backs.”
That last point about Payne proving he’s heavy enough to take on offensive linemen is a key one for the Falcons. Pees runs a multiple version of the 3-4 defense, a scheme that sometimes requires inside linebackers to absorb guards left uncovered by the three-man line ahead of them.
It’s a demanding job, but the task wasn’t beyond Foyesade Oluokun last season. The 6’2″, 229-pounder has a similar physical profile to Payne but still led the NFL in tackles in 2021.
Oluokun emerged as a leader on Pees’ defense, but unfortunately for the Falcons, he cashed in on a breakout year and took his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Fontenot worked hard to compensate, signing Rashaan Evans and Nick Kwiatkoski off of the veteran market and drafting Troy Andersen in the second round.
Two starters should emerge from this group, but depth will be an issue, especially if Jones moves on as expected.
Jones Tipped for Falcons Exit
The idea Jones will leave has gathered steam in recent months. He was named as the player the Falcons should trade before the season starts by Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski.
A similar view is held by ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, who reported “anything is possible, from a trade to a release, although cutting him seems unlikely at this point.” A more emphatic stance was taken by Josh Kendall of The Athletic, who wrote “at this point, it feels like the Falcons are moving on one way or another from Jones.”
Jones made 137 tackles last season, but he rarely seemed completely comfortable in Pees’ defense. It’s fair to say he’s never hit the heights he reached en route to the Pro Bowl in 2017, when Jones established himself as a premier coverage linebacker:
Deion Jones was the very best linebacker in the NFL in coverage in 2017!
Earning all-star honors continued a rapid rise for Jones, who started as a rookie when the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI after the 2016 season. He made nine tackles but couldn’t prevent the Falcons from blowing a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots.
Jones’ biggest problem isn’t any dip in his stats. It’s a combination of health and cost. His health has been in doubt this offseason after shoulder surgery ruled Jones out of OTAs.
There’s also the gaudy cap figure Jones carries for this season, valued at $20,018,431 by Spotrac.com. The Falcons need relief from these kinds of contracts because the franchise is still on the hook for a dead cap tally worth $63,209,124.
Ditching Jones and giving his roster spot to Payne would be a cost-effective solution. It would also add an active tackler to Atlanta’s special teams.
Payne was productive in football’s third phase for the Jaguars in 2017, per Burmeister: “Payne was in the top three for special teams tackles in the NFL. He stuck with Jacksonville in 2018, and in 2019, he started the last five games of the season. Payne produced at an eye-opening level, recording at least 12 tackles in all five games.”
Foot surgery doomed Payne’s time in Jacksonville, and he was unable to stick in Washington or with the San Francisco 49ers:
Newest 49ers linebacker Donald Payne
Adding Payne to a mix already featuring Evans, Kwiatkoski, Andersen and Mykal Walker would ensure competition is strong at a vital position likely to define the success of the Falcons’ defense this year.