Atlanta Falcons: Three massive factors during the offseason

1. Improving the pass rush 

19 sacks won’t cut it. Neither will the 22 sacks that the defense accumulated over the course of the 2014 season. The drafting of Vic Beasley in 2015 gave the Atlanta Falcons a strategic piece that added speed, athleticism, and freakish talent to a defense that was in true need of it.

Beasley totaled four sacks in 2015 but pay attention carefully and you will see an athlete that gave even some of the best offensive tackles in the game, trouble with his quick burst and surprising strength off the edge. With Beasley, DE Adrian Clayborn, free agent pickup DE Derrick Shelby, DTs Grady Jarrett and Ra’Shede Hageman, the defensive line has a mixture of strength, speed, and size to throw waves at offensive linemen.

It doesn’t stop there. Quinn also has the luxury of outside linebackers Courtney Upshaw, Brooks Reed, and in a pinch, so can the rookie Campbell, who can provide the versatility to set the edge in run defense will also collapsing the pocket with their strength. So the name of the game as of now is to provide not just one top-notch elite pass rusher, but to have a rotation of pass rushers in different combinations that can allow Quinn to be creative.

Next: 5 things the Falcons need to do to make the playoffs in 2016

Again, 19 sacks won’t cut it. The pass rush must improve and Quinn is looking to use combinations and versatility to bring down the quarterback.