Despite acquiring him just a month ago and only playing three games with with the Atlanta Falcons, general manager Ian Cunningham saw enough out of Gervon Dexter. He was so dominant that the Falcons already signed him to a four-year, $78 million contract extension worth $46.5 in guaranteed money-- making him te
The Falcons saw a player who is tied for seventh in the league (and second among all IDL) in pressures and eighth in pressure rate and moved proactively to extend him. That ensures one piece of their young defensive tackle room will be in Atlanta long-term, but he isn't the only DT Cunningham is going to have to pay up to keep.
Both Brandon Dorlus and Maason Smith will enter the final season of their rookie deals next year, and Zach Harrison will be a free agent this offseason. It would be surprising to see the Falcons keep all three of them, which begs the discussion of who they should extend and who they should let go.
It remains to be seen whether or not Cunningham is willing to pay big-time money to another defensive tackle after the Dexter deal, but Dorlus will make it interesting. Because this is certainly going to complicate the discussion just like his acquisition did for Harrison's extension hopes.
Brandon Dorlus should be next in line on the Falcons' extension list
Through three weeks, Dorlus and Dexter's 27 combined QB pressures is the most among among an interior defensive line duo this season. On paper, this is a young duo you should absolutely want to keep together, but it's typically rare for a team to pay multiple defensive tackles this type of money.
The Eagles are the only team who does, but that's because of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. And we know Cunningham and a few of his trusted lieutenants (including assistant GM Jeff Scott and cap guy Bryce Johnston) spent time working under Howie Roseman in Philadelphia, and they know his team-building model has resulted in Super Bowls--which is why Atlanta has tried to emulate it so closely.
That's where this becomes complicated. The 24-year-old broke out with 8.5 sacks last season, and is still coming into his own as an interior defender. What will make the Dirty Birds allocate their resources best? That's the million-dollar question on everyone's minds after what we just witnessed.
The good news here is that even after the Dexter extension, the Dirty Birds have the most salary cap in the NFL, so if they want to extend him once they're able to, they can. But blowing all of the open cap space on position players before you find a long-term quarterback is a risky play from this front office. But with how good this defensive line has looked, how can you blame them?
Dorlus is eligible to be extended after the season concludes, so perhaps at some point this offseason or next summer this deal comes. But as long as he keeps impressing on the field, the price tag (and the salary cap adjusted for inflation) will increase, meaning they'll have to pay more to extend him. But Cunningham is known to be proactive in extending players he has a vested interest in keeping.
If Ian Cunningham can get Brandon Dorlus to sign a similar deal to what he paid Gervon Dexter yesterday, it's an easy decision, but there's still a whole lot more time until we get there--and his progression as a pass-rusher will complicate things until they put pen to paper.
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