Pass rush has been the Atlanta Falcons' theme this offseason. They started by signing Leonard Floyd and finished by drafting Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round.
These moves have drawn the praise of many because it solves a problem that has plagued the team for years.
On the flip side, this means that one draft bust will be shown the door during final cuts in late-August.
DeAngelo Malone is clearly heading toward being another Terry Fontenot draft bust
The Falcon's edge rusher room filled to capacity after the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Typically, teams keep four or five edge players. The way things look right now, the Falcons will keep five with Leonard Floyd, Arnold Ebiketie, Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., and Bralen Trice.
This isn't even counting Zach Harrison and Brandon Dorlus who will play outside.
All this means that DeAngelo Malone, the main return the Dirty Birds got in the Matt Ryan trade, is bound to hit the streets.
The former Western Kentucky star hasn't shown he can get to the quarterback. In three seasons, he has three sacks, two of which came in one game last season against a poor Raiders offensive line.
He went from 216 snaps as a rookie to only two in year two and 90 in year three.
Frankly, the only reason he has stuck around this long is because of his special teams value.
There just isn't room for him to sit and continue developing in 2025. Maybe he could sneak through and land on the practice squad, but another team will likely pick him up.
The simple fact that Terry Fontenot couldn't get more than three sacks for Matt Ryan, perhaps the greatest player in franchise history, makes this hurt even worse.