The Atlanta Falcons desperately needed to address their pass rush this offseason because they ranked 21st in sacks and 32nd in pass rush win rate, and their leading sacker, Bud Dupree, departed in free agency.
The Falcons drafted an EDGE rusher on Day 2.
The Atlanta Falcons drafted an EDGE rusher on Day 2
The Falcons drafted Bralen Trice in the 3rd round, 74th overall of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Since the Falcons had eight EDGE rushers on their depth chart, they had to release one. They chose to release their former 5th-round pick.
The Atlanta Falcons released their former 5th-round pick
Adetokunbo Ogundeji was set to have a $3,116,000 base salary and a $3,176,038 cap hit for the 2024 season, but the Falcons decided to release Ogundeji. They will free up $3,116,000 in cap space and incur a dead cap hit of $60,038.
He started his NFL career in 2021.
Adetokunbo Ogundeji started his NFL career in 2021
The Atlanta Falcons drafted Ogundeji in the 5th round, 182nd overall of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has played 32 games and started 27, with 75 tackles, eight TFLs, and three sacks.
Ogundeji played 16 games, starting 11 in his rookie season, with 33 tackles, five TFLs, one sack, 11 pressures, and a 54.2 PFF Grade. He also had a 58.5 run defense grade and a 46.9 pass-rush grade per PFF.
Ogundeji played 16 games, starting 16 in his second season, with 42 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks, six pressures, and a 43.8 PFF Grade. He also had a 53.8 run defense grade and a 44.2 pass-rush grade per PFF.
Ogundeji missed the entirety of his third season with a foot injury.
The current state of the Atlanta Falcons EDGE depth
The Falcons currently have seven EDGE rushers on their roster, including Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, Bralen Trice, James Smith-Williams, Bradlee Anae, DeAngelo Malone, and Kehinde Oginni Hassan.
Ebiketie is the only player considered a lock to start since Carter and Trice will compete for the other starting spot. Meanwhile, the Falcons will likely keep 4-5 EDGE rushers on the roster, meaning their last few roster spots are up for grabs. Will it be Smith-Williams, Malone, Anae, or Oginni Hassan?
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