Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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THE SKINNY: The Falcons finished 7-9 in 2018 after suffering a number of injuries on defense. Most notably, inside linebacker Deion Jones went on injured reserve after suffering an injury in Week 1 and did not return until Week 13. That left De’Vondre Campbell as Atlanta’s mainstay in the interior of the second level, where he had a team-high 94 tackles.
WHAT WORKED IN 2018: Campbell ranked third among eligible NFL linebackers in tackling efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). When Campbell and Jones were on the field together in the final five games, the Falcons went 3-2.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK IN 2018: Everything else. The Falcons struggled with depth among interior after Jones went down. Duke Riley and Foyesade Oluokon stepped in, but could not reproduce Jones' production. Clemson product Vic Beasley, an EDGE hybrid, also had a disappointing season, registering a career-low 20 tackles and just 5.0 sacks.
WHO'S BACK FOR 2019: Namely Jones. Campbell, Beasley, Riley and Oluokon return as well.
WHO'S NEW FOR 2019: No one of note. Atlanta used its defensive draft picks at cornerback (Kendall Sheffield, Jordan Miller) and defensive end (John Cominsky).
New Orleans Saints