Atlanta Falcons: Early look at three 2023 free agents to sign, avoid

The first 2023 free agent the Atlanta Falcons should sign is DT Javon Hargrave

Javon Hargrave could prove to be a great compliment to Grady Jarrett for the Atlanta Falcons.

Hargrave who is playing on the final year of his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles has been an underrated force his entire career. Much of that has to do with the fact that he has played on the Steelers and Eagles defensive lines that have more well-known names.

He is a great pass rusher who would be perfect alongside Grady. Those are two guys who could create major problems for opposing offensive lines. The Falcons have struggled to find a good outside pass rusher, so why not build from the inside out? Getting inside pressure can be just as effective.

The first 2023 free agent the Atlanta Falcons should avoid is OLB Bradley Chubb

Being a top-ten pick comes with huge expectations, Bradley Chubb has not delivered on those expectations, and the Atlanta Falcons know all about that from their Vic Beasley experience.

There are people out there who view Bradley Chubb as an elite pass rusher but that is not the case, he has been quite bad for the Broncos.

In his first season, he showed potential as he racked up eight sacks for Denver’s defense, and in the three years since he has registered a total of 8.5 sacks, 7.5 of which came in 2020.

Yes, he has missed a lot of games in his young career — another reason to avoid him — but he has still played in 25 games in the past three years. 8.5 sacks in 25 games is not exactly worth the five-year, $66 million contract that Spotrac estimates him to get.