Carlos Dunlap would be a nice fit for the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons may have found their next pass rusher via free agency.

The Seattle Seahawks released veteran defensive end, Carlos Dunlap, on Monday, leaving a veteran free agent available for the Atlanta Falcons to consider signing.

The Atlanta Falcons are in dire need of pass rush help. This is not news to anyone. There is currently zero talent at the defensive end position, and now that veteran Carlos Dunlap is available, the Atlanta Falcons should seriously consider signing him to help with this issue.

Yes, Dunlap is up there in age.

His first season was in 2010 with the Cincinnati Bengals. He has achieved great success throughout his career playing for the Bengals. In 2020, he played for both Bengals and Seahawks, appearing in 10 games and starting seven.

He finished the season with 5.5 sacks.

The sack numbers may not look exceptional, but they do look good for someone who only started seven games. Dunlap looks to still have a lot in the tank and the Atlanta Falcons could use all the help they can get.

There is however a cap space problem with the Atlanta Falcons, in that there is very little of it.

It is reasonable to think that this shouldn’t be an issue though when it comes to signing Dunlap. One could assume his market value won’t be too high given his age, meaning his asking price shouldn’t be too high.

The best-case scenario is the Atlanta Falcons alter Matt Ryan’s contract, freeing up space to sign Dunlap and maybe even some additional help, like a back-up quarterback or talent and depth along the offensive line.

The Atlanta Falcons have not made smart free agency decisions over the last few years under Thomas Dimitroff, but with a new regime this year, expectations are high that the free agency period and NFL Draft will both be successful in getting the Atlanta Falcons back to a place of legitimacy and success.

Dunlap may not be a game-breaker, but he certainly would be a step up from what the team has now and his veteran leadership and experience performing at a high level would be very useful in helping guide a rookie pass rusher into reaching elite status, something the team will need if wants to get back to the Super Bowl and finally win it.