Falcons Receive Questionable Low Grades for Matthew Judon Trade

The Atlanta Falcons filled their biggest remaining need by acquiring edge rusher Matthew Judon, but not every analyst was impressed with the move.

New Atlanta Falcons linebacker Matthew Judon / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

There’s not much worse as a sports fan than seeing one's team take one part of the roster in one direction but a different area in another. NFL franchises that want to win can’t really afford to hedge their bets.

That was the biggest problem I had with the Michael Penix Jr. selection at No. 8 overall for the Atlanta Falcons. The pick did nothing to help veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins or the collection of young offensive talent on the roster win now.

The Falcons will be absolved of that decision if Penix becomes a franchise quarterback. General manager Terry Fontenot has also sought vindication through other significant moves to help the team win in 2024. 

His latest — acquire edge rusher Matthew Judon in a trade from the New England Patriots for a 2025 third-round pick.

The move addressed the biggest remaining hole on Atlanta's roster, a hole that everyone, including yours truly, has been concerned about all summer. Filling that hole should have been met with widespread acclaim.

But it strangely wasn't. ESPN's Seth Walder was particularly critical of the move for the Falcons. He gave Atlanta a C grade for the trade.

"The Falcons were desperate. And they also had very little money to work with -- the Falcons have just $3.5 million in 2024 cap space (fewest in the league) and $8 million in 2025 cap space before rollovers, of which Atlanta will get almost none," Walder wrote. "In Judon, Atlanta landed a player that maybe can be part of the solution, with "maybe" and "part" being pretty important words. I have my fair share of skepticism.

"The case for Judon is that he recorded 15.5 sacks in 2022 (and 12.5 the year before that) and managed 4.0 sacks in an abbreviated four-game season last year. That's what Atlanta's buying -- Judon's past sack production.

Walder, who has been a significant Falcons hater in the past, was also critical of the fact that the Falcons acquired a veteran currently in a contract dispute without first having a contract agreement in place. CBS Sports' Garrett Podell had the same concern and gave the Falcons a B-minus grade as a result.

"Judon is 32 years old and coming off a season in which he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4," wrote Podell. "They don't have him signed to a new deal already, which worked out horribly in the aforementioned case of Reddick and the Jets.

"Reddick is demanding a trade from New York despite being acquired this offseason because he doesn't have a new contract in place."

In summary, Walder and Podell are dinging the Falcons for acquiring a veteran edge rusher because another move didn't work out for a different team. While similarities between the Judon and Reddick trades do exist, that's still a bit of a silly take.

Reddick's situation will have no barring on the Falcons, who have already created cap space likely to sign Judon to an extension by restructuring Chris Lindstrom's contract. ESPN's Dan Graziano also reported that Judon and the Falcons plan to work out a contract extension before the season. Graziano added that he "did not anticipate" Judon becoming a problem for his new team like Reddick has been in New York.

That should put Falcons fans at ease.

Judon doesn't arrive in Atlanta without concern. How he bounces back from injury is my main question. He only played four games last season before suffering a torn biceps.

But he had 4 sacks in those 4 games and 28 sacks in his previous 34 contests. It's been a long time since the Falcons had an edge rusher with that kind of sack production history.

The Falcons took risks on Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree last season. Those rolls of the dice worked so well that the Falcons faced criticism for not re-signing either veteran.

Now, they've added an even better edge rusher. Yet, the Falcons somehow still face criticism.

USA Today's Nate Davis gave the Falcons a B for the Judon acquisition. He also wrote that his grade could change drastically.

"Judon’s acquisition appears to be a very nifty stopgap," Davis wrote. "If GM Terry Fontenot manages to extend Judon, this grade might bump up to an A given the compensatory cost, perhaps a low Round 3 slot, too, if the Falcons do reach postseason … though it could also drop significantly if Judon opts for the Reddick route with a holdout."

"Stopgap" appears to be the right word to describe Judon for the Falcons. He's not the long-term solution. But he could be part of the solution for 2-3 years until the Falcons finally stop being stubborn and draft an edge rusher in the first round.

If one grades the Judon trade based on his long-term potential, then a B-plus is an appropriate grade for me. But looking at only the 2024 season, it's hard not to love the move.

Yahoo Sports' Cory Woodroof agreed, giving the trade for the Falcons an A.

"The Falcons needed this. They needed this so badly," Woodroof wrote. "After years and years of trying and failing to find John Abraham's heir apparent, the team just threw up its hands and traded for an excellent veteran pass-rusher with gas left in the tank. To maximize both the contention window that Kirk Cousins gives Atlanta and even the beginning of Michael Penix Jr.'s career once he assumes the quarterback role, the Falcons had to have a player like Judon on the roster.

"Giving up draft capital for proven talent is effortless if you're the Falcons and you haven't been able to consistently rush the passer in more than a decade. While Judon turns 32 on Thursday and missed most of the 2023 season with injury, betting on him returning to form and playing at a high level for the next couple of seasons is absolutely worth it for Atlanta.

"This is just a massive win for a team expected to meaningfully contend for the playoffs this season. If you're a Falcons fan, you're on cloud 9 right now."

With Judon, Arnold Ebiketie no longer has to be the No. 1 edge rusher for Atlanta. Ebiketie will see single blocking assignments as long as Judon is on the field. Judon should also play a pivotal role in Ebiketie's future development as Campbell and Dupree did last year.

The Falcons trading for Judon doesn't come without risk. But they shouldn't face criticism for that. They should be commended for taking the risk for the chance to put the team in a better position to finally make the postseason in 2024.