In his first offseason as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, one of Ian Cunningham's first orders of business was to improve the interior of the defensive line. The Falcons were one of the NFL's worst teams against the run in 2025, and Cunningham sought to add big, explosive athletes.
And in doing so, one of the first moves he made was sending Ruke Orhorhoro to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for the 6-foot-5, 306-pound Maason Smith. And while many Falcons fans were confused by the straight-up swap, they were urged to trust the process, as Smith has been everything as advertised for this defense.
The former second-round pick was drafted just 13 picks after Orhorhoro in the 2024 NFL Draft, but never really got a chance to shine in Jacksonville. But in Atlanta, he's been a revelation, as according to ESPN research, he led all DTs with a 27% pass-rush win-rate entering Week 7.
Although Smith has been getting overshadowed a bit by the two bigger names on this defensive line in Brandon Dorlus and Gervon Dexter Sr., he's still proved himself as a quality rotational DT--but in the Week 7 upset over the San Francisco 49ers, he delivered one of the best games of his NFL career that's only making this deal look better.
Maason Smith had a breakout game in the Atlanta Falcons' Week 7 win
In the 29-20 victory, Smith recorded his first sack as a Falcon and his first since December of 2024 his rookie season, two tackles, two TFLs, and forced a clutch fumble on San Francisco rookie running back Kaelon Black that halted a 49ers' drive where they were knocking on the door of the red zone.
So while Orhorhoro and the Jaguars enjoyed their bye week, the 24-year-old helped the Dirty Birds pull off their biggest statement win of the season. And he had his fingerprints all over the matchup, which is why his 75.6 PFF grade was among the best on the team and 17th-best at defensive tackle.
And while talking to reporters after the game, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski referred to him as "a man possessed", which was probably the most fitting description of the way he was making plays out there.
"That's a man possessed," Stefanski said. "And that's a big man, when possessed, to slow down. I looked up a couple times, and he's winning. He's winning quickly, and harassing the offensive line, harassing the quarterback, so yeah, he was moving."
Meanwhile, the LSU product has played almost double the amount of snaps that Orhorhoro has for the Jaguars this season, so he's stepped up when the Falcons have needed him. After all, you don't rank third in PFF pass-rushing grade if you don't offer very much as a pass-rusher.
Ian Cunningham deserves a lot of credit for recognizing the untapped potential that Maason Smith had and turning the risky Ruke Orhorhoro trade into a win for Atlanta, because Nate Ollie has Smith playing out of his mind--and his impact became perfectly clear against the 49ers in Week 7.
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