Atlanta Falcons: Bruce Irvin likely gone, all in on Danny Trevathan?
With Bruce Irvin set for Oakland, should the Atlanta Falcons go all in on for Danny Trevathan?
In a somewhat surprising turn of events on Tuesday evening, former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin reportedly agreed to join the Oakland Raiders at the beginning of the new league year on Wednesday. Irvin was high on the Atlanta Falcons’ radar with the Falcons desperately needing to upgrade their pass rush.
With Irvin all but gone, should the Falcons turn their attention to former Denver Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan?
Trevathan looked like a lock to the Bears on a deal worth around $7 million a year, but it now appears the Falcons are pushing themselves firmly into the mix.
The two teams now making the strongest push for Broncos free-agent LB Danny Trevathan are Atlanta and Chicago, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2016
Trevathan won’t be the fix for Atlanta’s anaemic pass rush, but he could help fill another major need on defense, and that’s for a coverage linebacker. Trevathan is a three-down player who excels in coverage. Plugging him into Dan Quinn’s defense would give the unit an instant upgrade and take pressure off finding a linebacker in the draft.
The Falcons own just five picks in next month’s draft, which means they will need to be players in free agency. A number of top pass rushers look to be gone now, however. Malik Jackson is about to get way overpaid in Jacksonville, reportedly set to sign a six-year, $90 million contract. Jason Pierre-Paul is staying in New York on a one-year deal and target Tamba Hali decided to remain in Kansas City. Irvin was high on the Falcons’ radar, but it would appear they have missed out on him too.
Until the deal is made official after 4 p.m. Wednesday, nothing is set in stone. Are the Bears front-runners for Trevathan’s signature? Sure. But money talks, and the Falcons can certainly put themselves firmly in the race with a strong push.
The Bears and Falcons are in similar situations. Both have emerging offenses with plenty of young talent: Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and Justin Hardy in Atlanta; Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White and Jeremy Langford in Chicago. Both have rebuilding defenses led by coaches that were apart of Super Bowl XLVIII. Quinn was defensive coordinator of the Seahawks team that defeated John Fox’s Broncos for the ultimate prize two years ago.
For now, it would seem Fox leads the race to landing his former player, but the Falcons should do all they can to lure him to the Georgia Dome.
Trevathan will draw plenty of interest around the league — and it will be tough to wrestle him away from former coach Fox in Chicago — but the Falcons should go after Trevathan. There are a number of holes on defense for Atlanta, and adding the former Bronco would be a major step forward in the rebuild.
Next: What to expect from day one of free agency
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