3. Falcons LB Kaden Elliss outplayed his $6.8M salary
Kaden Elliss is another example of a criticized signing turning into a gold mine for the Atlanta Falcons.
In his second year with his second team, Elliss put together the best season of his career and proved himself to be one of the best at his position. He was incredibly valuable for a defense that would have been an absolute trainwreck without him (or an even bigger trainwreck depending on how you look at it).
The threat he presents for an opposing offense changes schemes. We often saw him either getting to a quarterback when blitzing or forcing offenses to slide protection his way allowing someone else to get a free shot at the quarterback.
Elliss sits in the reality that guys like A.J. Terrell and Grady Jarrett have for years: a dominant player overshadowed by the team's struggles. Hopefully, that will change under Jeff Ulbrich in 2025.