The Falcons tried to fill the considerable hole left behind by Dontari Poe last year with two players: rookie Deadrin Senat and veteran Terrell McClain. Senat showed some potential, but McClain was a bust and the team’s overall defensive tackle depth took a hit.
We know Grady Jarrett is going to be around for at least one more year after he was hit with the franchise tag. However, Atlanta could still use another proven starter at DT to pair inside with him. As it so happens, it’s a strong free agent class at the position and another enticing name just hit the market.
The Jaguars are in full fire-sale mode as they presumably clear space to sign Nick Foles to a long-term franchise QB kind of deal.
Today, they’ve cut safety Tashaun Gibson, running back Carlos Hyde, right tackle Jermey Parnell, their long snapper and finally defensive tackle Malik Jackson. He’s the subject of our next free agent profile.
Malik Jackson
Age: 29
Position: Defensive tackle
Size: 6-foot-5, 290 pounds
2018 Stats: 3.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, seven tackles for a loss
Career Stats: 32.5 sacks, 86 QB hits, 55 tackles for a loss
Why he makes sense: Jackson is still a productive and disruptive presence even after seven years in the league. Jacksonville runs the same kind of defense as Dan Quinn, but they don’t have a DL specialist quite like him on their staff. It’s not hard to imagine Jackson returning to his 2015-2017 form and boosting the Falcons’ interior pass rush by miles.
Why he doesn’t: Salary cap hell is not a very fun place to be, precisely because even when names like Jackson suddenly become available, signing them is extremely difficult. Jackson was going to make $13 million in base salary this year. Even if he’s willing to literally play for $10 million less, it’s a stretch given the team’s cap room.
Probability: Low
Atlanta will barely have enough cap room to bring back its own pending free agents, let alone sign anybody who could contribute meaningfully.
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