It’s officially game week for the Atlanta Falcons as they get set to renew their rivalry with the New Orleans Saints. While the quarterback position is obviously one to watch as Marcus Mariota will make his first start in a Falcons’ uniform, The Athletic’s Josh Kendall joined the Dopey Millennials on 92.9 The Game to discuss another position group that fans are anxiously waiting to see in action.
The Falcons didn’t have the luxury of a tremendous amount of cap space this past offseason, but they did make a concerted effort to upgrade in the trenches along the defensive front with the addition of free-agent Lorenzo Carter and the drafting of Arnold Ebiketie out of Penn State and DeAngelo Malone from Western Kentucky, and it’s Carter—the former Georgia Bulldog—that Kendall sees as the leader of the trio entering the season.
“[Ebiketie & Malone] showed some flashes. There were times this preseason I thought Ebiketie was going to end up being a starter; I no longer think that. Ade Ogundeji is going to start opposite Carter I believe, but he’s more of a run stopper…So, a lot of the pass rush is going to fall on Carter’s shoulders,’ he said.
The Falcons had just 18 sacks in 2021—by far the least in the NFL—with Dante Fowler ‘leading’ the team with 4.5. Carter racked up five sacks in his final four games with the Giants in 2021 and will hope to carry that success into his stint in Atlanta.
While Kendall doesn’t believe Ebiketie or Malone will start, he’s watching closely to see how often they factor into the rotation along the defensive line.
“I want to see how much on 3rd down situations we see Ebiketie and Malone, and how much they’re able to make some plays. This is a staff that believes that certain players have a knack for getting to the QB, and they think that those two rookies do. Can they carry that knack form collegiate to professional football? The Falcons need it this year,” he said.
The Saints' offensive line will be without first-round pick Trevor Penning who went down with an injury, but New Orleans’ front still presents a sizable challenge for the Falcons' pass rush in their first test of the regular season.