Pass Rushers on Move at Deadline, just not to Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons didn't make any moves at the NFL trade deadline despite multiple pass rushers being available.

Defensive end Za'Darius Smith / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons defensive front came alive in Week 9 with 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and 8 quarterback hits. The organization better hope it stays alive with the edge rushers they already have on the roster.

The Falcons didn't make any moves at the NFL trade deadline, which passed at 4 pm ET Tuesday. Most notably, the Falcons stayed pat with their edge rushers despite sitting last in the NFL with nine sacks in nine games.

It's not like there weren't quality edge rushers available.

Three edge rushers changed addresses through trades Tuesday. None of them were more expensive than Day 3 draft capital.

The most significant move of the day involving an edge rusher was Za'Darius Smith heading to the Detroit Lions. The Lions also received a 2026 seventh-rounder in the deal with the Cleveland Browns, who received a 2025 fifth-rounder and 2026 sixth-round choice.

Another Smith was traded Tuesday -- the Green Bay Packers sent defensive lineman Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round choice. Finally, the Arizona Cardinals landed linebacker Baron Browning from the Denver Broncos for a 2025 sixth-rounder.

All three edge rushers come with risk. Two of them are rental players while the other has an expensive cap hit for the 2025 season.

But such is life for NFL teams that have roster holes in the middle of the season -- which is every team. Even the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs traded for a player (wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins) recently and tried to land another Tuesday.

There are no perfect additions to be made midseason, but NFL teams have become much more aggressive at trying to fill a roster hole with trades than they used.

The Falcons were aggressive before the season began. They added safety Justin Simmons and then traded a third-round pick for edge rusher Matthew Judon. The first move worked, the second one hasn't.

That's why the Falcons were in the position to add another edge rusher before Tuesday's deadline.

They chose to stay pat. That will help at draft time, as the Falcons held onto their four remaining 2025 draft picks. But it won't help now.

While neither Smith traded Tuesday are still in their primes, their new teams aren't necessarily going to ask them to be their top edge rusher. They will both provide depth for a group already rather elite, especially in the case with Preston Smith in Pittsburgh.

The Falcons were more in search for an edge rusher to be the No. 1 guy. But either Smith could have at least helped.

Browning was a more risky acqusition. He doesn't have a single sack this year. But he had 9.5 sacks in 24 games during 2022-23.

The other edge rusher who was available but didn't move to a new team was New York Giants' Azeez Ojulari. A Marietta, GA native and former Georgia Bulldogs player, Ojulari had been connected to the Falcons in trade rumors since the preseason.

But the Giants had a high asking price for Ojulari, who also would have been a rental player. The Athletic's Diana Russini reported New York was seeking a high fifth-round or late fourth-round pick for Ojulari.

The Falcons could have acquired Ojulari and then signed him to a long-term extension. That would have made giving up a fourth-rounder an easier pill to swallow.

Instead, the Falcons will double down on their current roster, which should concern Atlanta sports fans.

Granted, the Falcons are 6-3 without much help from their pass rush. But the schedule is going to get tougher, and it's hard to imagine the Falcons competing with the NFC elites without a much-improved pass rush during the second half.

That will have to come from Atlanta's current roster after the team made no deadline deals.