Falcons pursuing trade for one of the NFL's elite pass rushers

Haason Reddick has been one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL over the past few years. He has totaled 50.5 sacks over the past four years which is 38 more than the Falcons leader in sacks over the past four years (Grady Jarrett).

In other words, they could use a player like Reddick, and recent buzz suggests that could happen. Jeremy Fowler said the following on SportsCenter:

"The expectation leaguewide is that he is moved at some point. The Eagles went and spent on Bryce Huff, they re-signed Josh Sweat, so they have their two pass rushers. Reddick appears to be the odd man out. He does want a new deal, but this is a premier guy that should have value. He wants a new contract, plus the draft capital that it's going to take to get him. Arizona could be a team to watch because Jonathan Gannon was with him two years ago in Philly. They had good production together. Arizona needs pass rushers. Atlanta to an extent, so there should be teams in the mix."

- Jeremy Fowler

Combine this with the recent buzz and it isn't hard to assume that the Falcons are trying to be aggressive in their pursuit for a pass rusher.

It is a major problem right now as their two best edge rushers are Arnold Ebiketie and Lorenzo Carter. Ebiketie is a player who can develop into a franchise pass rusher but Carter shouldn't be expected to be anything more than a solid rotational piece.

Reddick would require the Falcons to clear up some cap space. That could easily be done by restructuring the contracts of players like Jake Matthews and Grady Jarrett. However, Terry Fontenot has never been eager to push the money down the road; he would rather take it to the chin and avoid a situation like the one he was hired into.

The Falcons also hold the eighth-overall pick and after spending three straight top-ten picks on offensive playmakers, the team could very well look for a defensive playmaker.

With how the draft is projected to go down, the Falcons will have their choice of whatever defender they want.

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