Just a day after the Atlanta Falcons traded a 2025 third-round pick to the New England Patriots for four-time Pro-Bowl pass rusher Matthew Judon they made another splash move and signed four-time All-Pro and two-time Pro-Bowler Justin Simmons to a one-year, eight million-dollar contract.
Since Simmons entered the NFL in 2016, his 30 interceptions is more than any other player has, and in 32 games with the Patriots Judon has 32 sacks. Needless to say the Falcons got two proven and bonafide studs on defense to make up for the recent injuries to Safety DeMarcco Hellams and Outside Linebacker/Edge Rusher Bralen Trice, but Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot didn’t just fill holes in the defense with these moves, he also gave the Falcons a top ten defense, and The Morning Shift talked about it earlier today.
“I was hoping that the Falcons would be a top-20 defense, because you look at offensively what they might be able to get done, I was hoping the Falcons would be a top-20 defense. Now you add Matthew Judon on the front end, you add Justin Simmons on the back end, you pair him up with Jessie Bates, you look at interception central, and now I’m hoping there a top-10 defense, and it’s that simple.” Mike Johnson said.
The old adage is a good pass rush helps the secondary and a good secondary helps the pass rush, well in the past two days the Falcons just went and got a perennial Pro-Bowl and All-Pro caliber player to improve both areas.
In the last eight seasons Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons have 50 interceptions between the two of them, you pair that with one of the better corners in the league in AJ Terrell, and supplement that with a defensive line that now has Matthew Judon, Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Kentavius Street, and plenty of other quality players. That is why the Falcons have a top ten defense now.