Grading each defensive position for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022
Report cards for the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive position for the 2022 NFL season
Once again, the Atlanta Falcons defense was not very good in 2022. Tell me if you have heard this before; they struggled to get to the quarterback in what was a second-straight season of ranking either last or next-to-last in total sacks.
In the secondary, the team struggled with injuries, especially during the middle part of the season. They just couldn’t find any consistency. There wasn’t a position that really stood out like there was on offense with the running backs.
The grades aren’t going to be great across the board but we will start with the safeties who were encouraging.
Safeties:
- Richie Grant
- Jaylinn Hawkins
- Erik Harris
- Dean Marlowe
The Falcons safeties—particularly Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins—deserve the least amount of criticism for the struggles on defense.
Both Grant and Hawkins were flying around and making plays. Despite struggling late in the season, we should see their 2022 campaigns as a success. They were able to stay on the field, minus one game that Hawkins missed, and were first and third on the defense in total snaps played.
Erik Harris essentially didn’t play and Dean Marlowe was traded after blowing a simple coverage against the Panthers.