Oftentimes in the NFL, the best moves teams make are the ones that nobody is talking about. A successful offseason doesn't only mean investing the most resources. In the modern league landscape, it's easier now than ever to get a valuable return on investment on a signed free agent.
The Atlanta Falcons didn't necessarily break the bank in free agency this offseason, but that doesn't mean they didn't bring in some impactful players. Ian Cunningham's preferred strategy was to chase value given their lack of cap space, and it's safe to say that the Falcons accomplished that.
Tua Tagovailoa could be their Week 1 starter for the lowly price of $1.3 million, but it's the defensive players Atlanta signed who are getting as much buzz as Zack Snyder's Justice League. And Samson Ebukam is looking to be the biggest culprit since he's been grossly overshadowed in this edge room.
Samson Ebukam is looking like one of the best signings the Falcons made
The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal worth $2.7 million with the Falcons in free agency, which is incredibly cheap given his track record in Indianapolis. And having him and Azeez Ojulari in place of Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie alongside James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker is a major upgrade.
It seems like the Dirty Birds are already feeling the impacts of the Ebukam signing. During mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, Atlantafalcons.com's Will McFadden labeled him as one of the biggest winners, as he had one rep where he was in the backfield faster than you could say "Matty Ice".
"Defensive end Samson Ebukam had one rep where he was in the backfield in a blink," McFadden wrote. "We won't get a good sense of Atlanta's trench play until pads come on, but Ebukam could be a pleasant surprise for the defense."
However, this was in pad-less practice, and McFadden made it clear that we won't know just how good the defensive line (and Ebukam) will be until the pads come on in training camp. But that doesn't make this endorsement any less important, because they're expecting him to make an instant impact after reuniting him with DL coach Nate Ollie, who coached him in his career year.
With Pearce's future up in the air with a possible suspension looming, the Falcons will need one of Ojulari and Ebukam to step up in the interim. And the latter will get the call. Last time we saw him play a full 17 games, he recorded a career-high 9.5 sacks and 11 TFLs before missing 2024 due to injury.
There are still a lot of unknowns about the state of the Falcons' pass-rush, especially in terms of how Samson Ebukam will play with another offseason under his belt after his Achilles tear, but the early returns have been promising.
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