The Falcons never really had a chance to achieve their potential in 2018. From the very start, injuries derailed their season, starting with an ACL tear for star safety Keanu Neal Week 1. Not long after, Deion Jones and Ricardo Allen followed him to the injured reserve list. Later, Devonta Freeman and a few offensive linemen joined as well.
If Atlanta had been healthy all year, the standings in the NFC South might have looked different. Going into 2019, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell seems to think people are sleeping on how good a healthy Falcons team can be. Here’s what he shared on Twitter.
Campbell is right on the money. Assuming the offensive line upgrades work out and the injury bug doesn’t bite again, this should be a playoff team.
He started 13 games last season, posting a career high 94 combined tackles to go with 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. For what it’s worth, Campbell got an “average” 57.5 grade from Pro Football Focus for the season.
Campbell is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Extending players like Grady Jarrett and Julio Jones needs to come first, but deals for Campbell, Neal and Jones should be next.
