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.
Grade: B+
Cornerbacks:
- A.J. Terrell
- Darren Hall
- Casey Hayward
- Isaiah Oliver
- Cornell Armstrong
- Dee Alford
- Mike Ford
- Rashad Fenton
A.J. Terrell is clearly the crowned jewel for the Atlanta Falcons secondary. He was coming off of a brilliant year in 2021 that would have been impossible to duplicate. He was easily the most consistent corner for the team and it was clear how important he was after his injury that kept him out a few games.
Casey Hayward’s season ended disappointingly. He was getting injured seemingly every week up until his season-ending ailment. Even when he was on the field, he was average.
Darren Hall had a stretch where he was playing well but then he faded when he had to take over as the team’s top cornerback. Isaiah Oliver had a fabulous final two games and then Dee Alford was solid in his first season. I even thought that Cornell Armstrong got better later in the year.
All in all, this position could have been much worse but the unavoidable inconsistencies due to injuries pull the grade down.
Grade: B-
Inside linebackers:
- Rashaan Evans
- Mykal Walker
- Troy Anderson
- Nate Landman
Outside of the top linebacker, there wasn’t much to like for the Atlanta Falcons. Certainly, Rashaan Evans wasn’t the problem. He came in on a one-year deal and who knows what would have happened without him as he was the one player at the position that wasn’t a total liability in either coverage or tackling.
Mykal Walker was second on the depth chart but didn’t show an ability to keep his job. He always seemed to be one step behind.
As for Troy Anderson, he was a rookie who looked like a rookie. He made some flashy plays but struggled to tackle. It was ugly at times, yet, he got some valuable snaps that will hopefully turn him into a great player.
You can send all your thanks to Rashaan Evans because without him it would have been ugly.
Grade: C+
Outside linebackers:
- Lorenzo Carter
- Ade Ogundeji
- Arnold Ebiketie
- Deangelo Malone
- Quinton Bell
Lorenzo Carter led the Atlanta Falcons’ edge rushers in sacks, he had a total of four sacks… Need I say more?
Second on the team in sacks among edge rushers, was Arnold Ebikitie with two and a half, third was Ade Ogundeji with two, and fourth was Deangelo Malone with one. Add that all up and you get a whopping nine and a half sacks from your edge rushers, AKA an average year for many pass rushers in the NFL
If there is a positive, it is that both Arnold Ebiketie and Deangelo Malone showed flashes every once in a while. They just weren’t put in the most favorable spot as rookies in what is already a difficult position to play in your first year.
Basically, this was one of the worst position groups in the entire NFL. Sure, the expectations were lower than low going into the season, but that doesn’t change the simple fact that it was another awful year for the Falcons’ pass rush. The only thing saving them from an ‘F’ is that they were at least average at defending the run.
Grade: D-
Defensive line:
- Grady Jarrett
- Ta’Quon Graham
- Abdullah Anderson
- Timmy Horne
- Jalen Dalton
- Matt Dickerson
- Jaleel Johnson
- Anthony Rush
Without Grady Jarrett, the Atlanta Falcons would be doomed. He has absolutely carried the Falcons’ defensive line on his back for years. He just goes out there and plays his heart out. He is definitely taken for granted.
However, Grady finally got at least a little help next to him for much of the season with Ta’Quon Graham who had a great year. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to play the entire season due to a knee injury.
Past Grady and Graham, Abdullah Anderson was a pleasant surprise but that is about where it ends. The remainder of the defensive linemen either didn’t play well or didn’t play many snaps—or were released after starting four games like Anthony Rush was.
Overall, Grady Jarrett and Ta’Quon Graham were the real gems of the position and Abdullah Anderson was the only serviceable player behind them. They were marginally better than most of us predicted prior to week one.