The Atlanta Falcons pass rush was putrid last year and has been for quite some time. With only 31 sacks for the 2024 season, the Falcons were ranked second-to-dead-last in the NFL, ahead of only the New England Patriots (28).
Falcons defensive line coach Nate Ollie knows this absolutely has to change. He’s hoping the defense is going to be very aggressive as they seek to get those sack numbers up and hopefully force quarterbacks into turnovers.
“Everything that we’re trying to do now, it’s like we’re trying to be like Mike Tyson and throw haymakers,” Ollie said, via Ken Sugiata of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re getting off the ball, attacking, throwing haymakers. No jabs. It’s all haymakers — that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Improving the pass rush in free agency
The Falcons attempted to address the situation in the offseason, as they should have. They signed Leonard Floyd to a one-year, $10 million deal hoping he can bring some of those 8.5 sacks he had with the San Francisco 49ers last year. Floyd had 10.5 sacks in 2023 with the Buffalo Bills. Entering his 10th year, he might be 32-years old, but he’s still very productive.
Tori McElhaney of AtlantaFalcons.com offers a little bit more background on Floyd.
“For starters, he was drafted by current Falcons vice president of football operations Ryan Pace when he was the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2015-21, selecting Floyd with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft,” McElhaney writes. “After four seasons with average production, the Bears extended Floyd’s fifth-year option to him. At the time, Pace was quoted, saying that even if the stats weren’t there, “Leonard does a lot of things that go a little undervalued.”
“The versatility he provides, things he can do in coverage,” Pace said in 2020. “Not a lot of outside linebackers that can provide the versatility he provides.”
Other than Floyd, the Falcons did nothing else significant in free agency to improve the pass rush, so he’ll need to chip in and contribute.
Pass rush help at the top of the draft
The Falcons double dipped on pass rush in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They took Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker with the No. 15-overall pick, and then jumped back in to get Tennessee defensive end James Pearce, Jr. Atlanta is hoping that these two picks will be a cornerstone of the defense for the next decade (although it’s the draft so who knows?).
Marc Raimondi of ESPN offers his take on the first rounders.
“Walker falling to No. 15 was a bit of a surprise, considering he was one of the most highly rated defenders in the entire draft,” Raimondi writes. “So, this can be viewed as a big win for the Falcons. Walker is not the perfect fit. Atlanta needed an edge rusher more than anything and Walker can certainly fill that role. But he played mostly off the ball for Georgia last season and his size — 6-foot-1 and 243 pounds — projects more as an inside linebacker. Expect new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to move Walker around plenty and use him in creative ways.”
Raimondi liked the Pearce, Jr. selection, but is a little concerned with the steep price it cost to trade back into the first round. It cost them second and seventh rounders in 2025 and next year’s first-round pick.
“The Falcons needed a pass rusher more than anything in this draft and walked away with one of the best edges — with their second pick of the first round,” Raimondi continues. “Trading up was pricey. Atlanta needed to send a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams to get back into the first round. But the Falcons came away with Pearce, who was perhaps the best pass rusher in the SEC in 2024 with 7.5 sacks. The Falcons were lacking speed on defense and Pearce ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the combine.”
Falcons Coach Compares New Defense to Mike Tyson