FLOWERY BRANCH, GA. — The Atlanta Falcons' offseason priority has been clear from the moment the 2024 season ended.
The Falcons want — need — to better their defense.
The unit struggled at times last season, ultimately placing 23rd in total defense. The biggest pain point, however, was the group's 31 sacks, which were second-fewest in the league. And that has tended to be a norm in recent history, considering Atlanta has not finished ranked in the top half of the NFL in sacks since 2017.
As a result, the Falcons parted ways with defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and brought in Jeff Ulbrich. Ulbrich spent the last four seasons with the New York Jets, and guided the Jets to top five in total defense during each of the last three seasons. Notably, they were ninth, 10th and 12th in sacks from 2022-24, respectively.
So, that coaching change was Atlanta's first step toward its goal.
Then came the NFL Combine, where only defensive assistants made the trip to Indianapolis with general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris. Once there, the Falcons had 45 official interviews scheduled with prospects. According to reports, all of them were with defensive players.
That was soon followed by free agency. Of the Falcons' 10 out-of-house signings, six are defensive: edge Leonard Floyd, linebacker Divine Deablo, lineman Morgan Fox, safety Jordan Fuller, cornerbacks Keith Taylor and Mike Ford. And of their 11 in-house extensions or re-signings, four are defensive: inside linebacker Josh Woods, cornerback Mike Hughes, linemen Kentavius Street and Ta'Quon Graham. That's 10 defensive players who weren't on the roster when the league year began — good for 48% overall. When taking into account there have been two special teams-specific transactions — one signing, one extension — defense just beats out the offense's count of nine players.
The work isn't done there, either. Free agency is a market open for a long time beyond this initial wave. The Falcons very well could continue down this defensive path.
Or, the next tentpole event is the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Obviously, the combine personnel and interviews hint at favoritism toward the defensive side of the ball. So do numerous mocks by both internal and external media.
Senior Falcons content producer Tori McElhaney most recently sent Marshall edge Mike Green to Atlanta at No. 15. ESPN, CBS Sports, The Ringer and NFL.com experts have all done so at one point, too. Other popular predictions include Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, edge Jalon Walker and Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart, just to name a few. All names tracked so far, though, have been defensive – and that shouldn't come as a surprise.
Again, it's easy to figure out what the Falcons think will lead them to success in 2025, and that's improving their defense. The coaching change showed that. The moves in free agency doubled down on that. The final test to this theory will be the draft.
