Pump the brakes on the Falcons resigning Foye Oluokun

The Atlanta Falcons have a multitude of pending free agents this offseason, among them, is the NFL’s leading tackler this season—Foyesade Oluokun.

Oluokun lit up the stats sheet during this past Falcons season, putting together a year in which he had 192 tackles. That is simply remarkable, but you should pump the brakes on wanting him back with the team for next season.

The Falcons linebacker had a great statistical year, but that’s where it stops

Most Falcons fans or NFL fans, in general, might look at the stat sheet and see Foye Oluokun’s name up there and automatically think he is the best linebacker in the NFL, but that is simply not the case if we are being brutally honest.

Foye is a great tackler, obviously, but his overall play on the field was not so great. Pro Football Focus has him graded with a 43.7 overall grade. Keep in mind that their grades are out of 100, having a 43.7 grade is not good at all.

The Falcons whole linebacking core was a liability as Foye’s running mate, Deion Jones, graded out with a 33.7 grade. Those are two of the worst-graded linebackers in the entire NFL. It proves that stats do not show the whole picture as Pro Football Focus is known for being one of the most accurate in determining a player’s overall play as they break down every single snap.

Now, one could argue that Oluokun had little to no help around him, which is certainly true, but the same can be said for A.J. Terrell, however, he was able to put up some of the best play, if not the best play, in the entire NFL when it comes to the cornerback position.

So, while most fans will want Foye Oluokun back, the Falcons cannot afford to get stuck with another contract they regret a couple years down the road, much like is the case with Deion Jones currently.