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BALTIMORE -- Matthew Judon roamed the sideline at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday morning, hours before the start of the Falcons' preseason game against the Ravens.
After spending the first five years of his career in Baltimore's purple and black, and the last three seasons in Patriots blue and red, Judon sported a bright Falcons red pullover as he greeted familiar faces on the Ravens' sideline. Baltimore drafted Judon in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he had the opportunity to return to his old stomping ground for his new team's second preseason game of the 2024 season.
It was Judon's presence with the team that made pregame headlines and social media posts. In the end, after everything was said and done, that's the presence that carried the heaviest weight postgame, too.
The Falcons chose to be conservative in their approach to playing time Saturday. Essentially, if there was a Falcon even sniffing first-team reps or part of the core rotation in practice this week, they didn't see playing time. After everything that transpired in Miami -- Rondale Moore and Bralen Trice going on injured reserve with season-ending knee injuries and losing DeMarcco Hellams for a "significant" amount of time with an ankle injury -- it made sense why Raheem Morris and the coaching staff felt the need to keep starters (and even second teamers) under lock and key.
It did allow us the opportunity to see some players in action who could fill out the bottom part of the 53-man roster, players Terrin Waack highlighted in her postgame story. However, the highlight of the Falcons' second preseason game had nothing to do with what happened on the field and everything to do with what has happened off the field in the days leading up to the road trip.
Acquiring Judon via a trade with New England was one thing. Reportedly signing safety Justin Simmons to a one-year deal less than 24 hours later? There was no other team in the league that dominated this week's news cycle quite like the Falcons.
The acquisition of these two players changes the overall expectations one should have about this 2024 defensive unit. Collectively, the two newcomers bring with them six Pro Bowl selections and 190 total games started in this league. Individually, Judon brings a whopping 66.5 sacks and 165 quarterback hits to the Falcons defensive line, while Simmons' 30 interceptions are the most by a player since he joined the league in 2016.
In all seriousness, what the Kirk Cousins signing did for the offense, the joint inclusion of Judon and Simmons on this defense does the same. Atlanta's defensive reputation has been raised now. One could argue the pairing of Simmons with Jessie Bates III creates one of the best safety duos in the league. With Judon coming off the edge beside him, you better believe there's no one happier than Grady Jarrett about having someone able to draw offensive linemen away from him.
The reported acquisitions speak to what the Falcons are building in Atlanta, too, and the potency of their selling points. Throughout much of the last month, it was widely reported that Judon and Simmons were looking for longer-term deals than what they ultimately got with Atlanta. Judon even reportedly passed on a contract extension with the Patriots this summer. The Falcons, however, bring them to Atlanta for 2024 and 2024 alone -- to this point. Judon has one year left on his current contract and the Falcons have not yet made public any plans to extend that contract. Simmons' not-yet-official contract is reportedly a one-year deal, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The Falcons also reportedly restructured Chris Lindstrom's contract in order to create cap space to make the additions work.
All of this happened within a few days' time. A busy few days, but highly productive ones if you ask me.
There's only one week remaining in the preseason, which means the coaching staff will need to get Judon and Simmons up to speed quickly. But make no mistake about it: The feelings — internally and externally — about the 2024 Falcons have changed drastically between the moment their first preseason game ended in Miami to the moment they stepped on the field in Baltimore.
The Falcons elevated themselves this week, even if their second preseason game bore no evidence of the perception-changing moves. In many ways the game felt like a side quest; the true story of the Falcons' week happened off the field.
