Maason Smith is already validating the Falcons' Ruke Orhorhoro trade

Take a break from picking apart the Atlanta Falcons’ rough first two games and the high of a Thursday Night Football smackdown of the Green Bay Packers, and golf clap for someone who has shown up and excelled every week so far: Maason Smith, whom Atlanta got from Jacksonville for Ruke Orhorhoro.

One tackle per week on the stat sheet, so nothing for the box score readers, Maason Smith came out the gate being disruptive, starting with what would have been the first Falcons sack of the season vs. the Steelers (shoutout veteran Za’Darius Smith for two sacks in his Falcons debut) by an A.J. Terrell defensive holding.

A key third-down deflection of Aaron Rodgers at the line of scrimmage reflected Smith’s consistent collapsing of the pocket and eating gaps in an unsuccessful Steelers run game (58 yards on 21 attempts). His efforts didn’t stop the chain reaction there. Atlanta held the Steelers to 3-of-13 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down. All that in response to two Falcons turnovers and two missed kicks that offered good field position for the Steelers.

How about the opportunity costs getting Smith here? Ian Cunningham sent Orhorhoro, a 2024 second-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Smith back in April. He dealt the former 35th overall pick for a defensive tackle drafted 13 spots later at No. 48 in that same draft.

And naturally, Cunningham replacing a failed Fontenot guy with a successful one of his own is a GM masterclass.

Maason Smith is making the Atlanta Falcons look like geniuses for the Ruke Orhorhoro trade

The reason why? Smith's 6-foot-5 ⅛, and 306-pound frame fits Cunningham’s philosophy of more size on the defensive line than Orhorhoro’s at 6-foot-4 and 294 pounds. And that gamble is already being validated.

It is only a three-game sample size, but it is worth noting that Smith is a starter in Atlanta and Orhorhoro is currently sitting with the third-stringers in Jacksonville. And according to ESPN, the third-year DT is currently third among all defensive tackles with a 32% pass rush win rate and is only behind Christian Barmore and Jeffery Simmons.

Same face, new place, same phenomenal foundational traits for Falcons defensive line coach Nate Ollie to mold with his expertise that fans have grown so fond of here. A former five-star recruit and Freshman All-American for the LSU Tigers, Smith is just 23 years old. A cautionary 2025 Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list designation (calf/ankle) left volatile snap counts for Smith down the stretch in Jacksonville.

Cumulative defensive line snap counts were a start to a fresh change of scenery. Through three weeks, the offseason additions have 106 (Gervon Dexter Sr.) and 109 (Smith) snaps on the interior. The ripple effect of this addition was evident as always vs the Packers, with the Falcons' defensive line claiming three of the five players in NFL pass-rush wins, including Smith being tied for third with Falcons teammate Brandon Dorlus.

Ian Cunningham’s preaching of size and power needs to deliver a memorable sermon Sunday on the road vs the arch rival 1-2 New Orleans Saints. Tied at the top of the NFC South, Saints QB Tyler Shough is tied for second in NFL quarterbacks for most sacks taken through three games (10).

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow