Only the lowly Oakland Raiders finished last season with a lower team pressure rating than the Atlanta Falcons. According to Pro Football Focus, the Falcons had a 29.9 percent pressure rate in 2018, putting them dead last in the NFC South and 31 out of 32 teams.
Atlanta’s inability to rush the passer last season was one of several issues that caused the team to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Therefore, it was shocking to some fans that the team waited to address the defensive line until the middle of the draft. Instead they spent not one, but two first-round picks on offensive linemen.
Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn know the team must improve up front, but they seem to seem confident that former NFL sack leader Vic Beasley can get back on track this season. Plus, 2017 first-round pick Takk McKinley should be looking at a breakout year.
The Falcons did draft defensive end John Cominsky in the fourth round and brought back veteran edge Adrian Clayborn after a one-year, Super Bowl stint in New England. The defense also gets back a healthy Deion Jones, Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen.
The question still remains: Will it be enough?
