The Falcons have made a splash in the dead period of the NFL offseason by acquiring CB Jeff Okudah in a trade, is it time for them to be considered contenders?
Jeff Okudah’s time was nearing an end. Controversial or not, the Lions were getting ready to move on from the 24-year old who was just dealt to the Falcons on Tuesday for a fifth-round pick. The Lions have struggled to find consistent success in the secondary since the departure of cornerback Darius Slay, but now they seem to be starting over, ridding the team of their young star in Jeff Okudah.
Now, Okudah arrives in Atlanta on the cusp of a rebuild year for the Falcons. New faces and new life have been brought upon the team. In the ever so weakened NFC South, is Atlanta a good team? Or moreover, how good is the Falcons defense now that Jeff Okudah is in town?
Okudah was marked down as a lost cause late in the season. With lingering injury issues, inconsistent play, and an influx of new talent being brought in by the Lions in free agency at the cornerback position– it was hard to see Okudah’s anchor in the ground in Detroit. The writing was on the wall, Okudah’s hit price tag made it basically a given that he was going to be shipped off, it just so happened to be Atlanta.
Okudah now teams up with a somewhat impressive Atlanta defense that has a solid secondary as is. Okudah will probably be mirrored on the opposite side of the field from AJ Terrell– a up and coming corner who has shown impressive flashes of athletiscm and “wow” plays. Terrell, drafted in the same draft as Okudah, was also a first rounder and has battled through injuries. Ringing a bell?
The Falcons also have veteran corners in Casey Hayward, who for a period of time merely a coupe years ago with the Chargers was a perennial pickup, blossoming into one of the league’s top corners. Age and time has caught up to Hayward since, but his role as a senior cornerback and a voice of reason in the defensive back room shouldn’t be undermined.
Atlanta also has recent free-agent signee Mike Hughes, who has excelled in the slot with teams over the years. Hughes himself is also a former first-round pick in 2018 by the Minnesota Vikings– only padding the resume of the Falcons’ secondary. Similar to what the Philadelphia Eagles got out of corner James Bradberry, Atlanta hopes to do here, with a lowkey free agent signing that could help them build an all around defense.
The issue lies with price tags, on one side, the Falcons have poured money and opportunity cost into these four defensive backs. Okudah’s fifth-year option will run Atlanta $11.5 million, while Hughes and Hayward are both due to receive solid money for the next year. Hayward might not be the most flashy corner on the planet, competing with the likes of Jalen Ramsey and Ahmad Gardner, but he is a required presence on a young team with much to learn.
Even on the other side of the ball, the team announced second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder as their starter for the 2023 season, a testament to how young and frail this team is. Head coach Arthur Smith must have some sort of experienced voice to prevent the entire thing from imploding, and veteran corners like Casey Hayward and possibly Mike Hughes might be the way to go about it.
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It’s also hard to see the Falcons picking up fifth-year options on both AJ Terrell and Jeff Okudah. With both being wildly expensive– in fact, Terrell’s being more pricy at $12.3 million, one of them has to go in the coming year. With this in mind, this begs the question, are the Falcons going all in for this year on defense? It’s still a very big possibility that Arthur Blank might opt to draft another piece for the defense in this years coming draft– but the Falcons might be set at defensive back.
This is all, of course speculative that everyone will stay healthy. Barring any season-ending injuries from both Terrell and Okudah, the Falcons have a scary secondary for next year. Jeff Okudah is still young, and has had periodical spurts of greatness where he looks like a lockdown player.
While he sat out most of the 2021 season with an Achilles injury, he hasn’t played to his draft slot. As the third overall pick in 2020, Detroit was tired and needed someone who was readily available for the role. AJ Terrell on the other hand has also battled injuries, yet has been more productive. This solidifies Terrell at the top spot on the Falcons’ defense.
The team has also signed former Bengals All-Pro Jessie Bates III, a tentpole of the 2021 Bengals AFC Championship team and a staple safety that was on the free agent market for not very long. The Falcons scooped him up to play alongside strong safety Jaylin Hawkins.
All these pieces together will be one of the best defensive secondaries in the game to come. Maybe only for a year, but Jeff Okudah’s presence fills in the missing role that the Falcons have needed. I’d watch for them to be a serious contender with the weakened NFC South.
Even though the Saints have signed Derek Carr, with the way the division has gone in previous years– it’s still is the furthest thing from a gimme. The Falcons’ defense has been one of the up and coming ones, and Okudah’s arrival brings them up to a new level.
