Atlanta Falcons: Team awards after four games
By Randy Gurzi
Defensive Player of the Year: Deion Jones, LB
The best player on defense has been Deion Jones. The middle linebacker is all over the field and leads the team with 27 tackles. He also has recorded a sack and a pass defense to this point. He’s one of the more active interior linebackers in all of the NFL and is still learning the game — which makes his future potential completely scary.
More from Blogging Dirty
- 4 Atlanta Falcons who could follow Mariota out the door
- 3 Quarterbacks the Atlanta Falcons could sign to compete with Ridder
- Atlanta Falcons year three Kyle Pitts expectations
- Atlanta Falcons part ways with veteran Marcus Mariota
- Could Atlanta Falcons legend Julio Jones retire?
As a rookie Jones had 108 tackles with three interceptions — two of which he returned for a touchdown. He’s one of the brightest young stars on a defense full of pretty impressive weapons.
Most Surprising Player: Brooks Reed, DE
Just like we all thought, defensive end Brooks Reed leads the team in sacks after four games. Okay, maybe he was the last person we thought and some moron (fine it was me) even called him a potential final cut. Instead he has been playing excellent football and has 14 tackles with three sacks.
Two of those came in the first game against the Chicago Bears, including one to seal the win as he took down quarterback Mike Glennon near the goal line in a 23-17 win. It’s been an amazing start, especially when considering the former Houston Texans pass rusher had just two sacks in his first two seasons with the Falcons.