The Atlanta Falcons are bringing back 2017 team sack leader Adrian Clayborn, according to multiple reports. The defensive end will be making up to $4 million if he hits all incentives. The Falcons got a true steal by bringing back the ferocious pass rusher.
With his patented cross-chop technique that he learned from the immortal Chuck Smith, Clayborn had six sacks in the Falcons-Cowboys game back in 2017. He should be able to help lead what is a young group of talented pass rushers into a new era with Dan Quinn calling the defense again.
Clayborn functionally will be playing the role that Derrick Shelby played during the 2018 season and should provide much more production than Shelby did. He’s going to help add more pass rush to a base defense that didn’t have much during the 2018 season.
As of now, the base defense looks like it will feature Deadrin Senat, Stephen Means and the aforementioned Clayborn. Clayborn’s leadership up front won’t be discounted and should be a boon for the young group that will need more leadership than what Shelby or Reed would have provided.
