Getty The Falcons would struggle to make room for another Pro-Bowl DT alongside Grady Jarrett.
Grady Jarrett is one of the more disruptive defensive tackles in the NFL. Yet, it’s also true Jarrett is something of an island unto himself along the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line.
The two-time Pro Bowler regularly sees double and even triple teams. That would surely change if the Falcons added a dominant force still left on the free-agent market.
Pairing Ndamukong Suh with Jarrett would give the Falcons a formidable one-two punch along the interior every opponent on the 2022 schedule would fear. Unfortunately, one team insider believes it would be difficult to get a deal done for Suh, who wouldn’t come cheap with four Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl trophy on his CV.
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Suh Question Raises Exciting Prospect for Falcons
The following question was put to Falcons.com Digital Managing Editor Scott Bair: “Do you think N. Suh along side Grady Jarrett would be unstoppable?”
Bair responded with a note of caution about the chances of Suh actually moving to Atlanta:
On passing downs, absolutely. Ndamukong Suh and Grady Jarrett working together would be a lethal combination. It’s not one, however, I would expect to see in real life. While the defensive tackle remains unattached, I wouldn’t (if I were GM) to add to this particular team and roster that’s in so much transition.
I also doubt that this team would be attractive to Suh, nor could the team pay the freight likely required to employ him. I would expect Jarrett to work with his usual suspects, like TaQuon Graham and Marlon Davidson and Anthony Rush on the inside.
It’s likely Suh would command a hefty salary, even on a one-year deal. He’s 35, but remains one of the top names still on the market.
Suh has 70.5 career sacks to his credit and is also a force against the run. His mean streak has gotten him into trouble more than once, like when he was fined $70,000 for stepping on the arm of Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2014. It was one of many notable lapses in discipline, but there’s no denying Suh can dominate when he’s fully focused.
He’s been something of a lucky horseshoe for teams on the cusp of contending in recent years. Suh spent five years with the Detroit Lions after being drafted second overall in 2010, then signed a deal worth $114 million with the Miami Dolphins in 2015.
Suh left for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and immediately helped L.A. reach Super Bowl LIII. A 13-3 defeat to the New England Patriots brought the curtain down on Suh’s brief stay with the Rams, but he won Super Bowl LV two years later with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Suh thrived in the big game, logging 1.5 sacks during the 31-9 win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. As Doug Farrar of USA Today Sports highlighted, Suh showed he’s versatile enough to move around and rush the passer from multiple spots:
Ndamukong Suh had three sacks on one fourth-quarter drive in Super Bowl LV (one negated due to penalty). Three different starting gaps. Here, he starts wide and chases Mahomes across the pocket like a 250-pound DE. Five QB pressures as well. Lotta bark left on that tree. .
The veteran proved he’s still durable by starting all 17 games for the Falcons’ NFC South rivals last season. Suh registered six sacks and was in on 27 tackles for the Bucs.
There’s no doubt the Falcons could use a player with Suh’s skills and experience to anchor the front seven of a defense that surrendered 459 points a year ago. Jarrett would surely suffer less blocking mismatches like this one against the Lions, with Suh in the lineup next to him:
How many OL does it take to block @GradyJarrett?
Three 👀
If only the Falcons could make room for an expensive veteran.
Suh Too Costly
Suh’s last few contracts show he commands a premium, even for the short term. His deal with the Rams four years ago came at a cost of $14 million.
He’s been pricey for the Bucs, too, earning salaries worth $9.25 million, $8 million and $9 million during his three years with the team, according to Spotrac.com. Figures like those may be difficult to swing for Falcons’ general manager Terry Fontenot. Difficult, but not impossible.
Fontenot has $12,924,500 worth of space under the salary cap, even after signing Jarrett to a three-year, $51 million extension. There’s even a chance the Bucs won’t re-up Suh for a fourth season, with Greg Auman of The Athletic reporting “the Bucs were lukewarm to defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh even before they used their top draft pick on a player at his position in Logan Hall.”
There are ample reasons to at least put a deal on the table for Suh to consider, even though the Falcons aren’t as ready to compete as either the Rams or Bucs were when he chose them. It’s also true Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith have been building a younger roster.
Yet, new deals for 29-year-old Jarrett and left tackle Jake Matthews, 30, this offseason, prove there’s still a place for established and seasoned talent on this rebuilding team.
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Insider Discusses Falcons Chances of Signing 4-Time Pro Bowl DT