Falcons Ex Coach Dean Pees Has 'Buyer's Remorse' After Defensive Upgrades?

After seeing the additions that the Atlanta Falcons have made on the defensive side of the ball, former defensive coordinator Dean Pees might be regretting retirement.

Former Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is enjoying retirement, but after all of the upgrades made on defense this offseason, perhaps he wishes he would have returned.

“I think Dean (Pees), every day, has buyer’s remorse he retired, (when) he sees some of the moves we’ve made,” head coach Arthur Smith joked during a press conference.

Pees retired this past offseason after devoting 50 years of his life to coach. Considering that, it’s easy to see why a defensively-minded coach would be captivated by the moves the Falcons have made this offseason.

New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen will work with some high-end talent in newly acquired former All-Pro defenders safety Jessie Bates and defensive end Calais Campbell.

Atlanta also swiped David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss from their divisional rival New Orleans Saints. The final exciting addition the team made on defense was taking a flier and trading for the former No. 3 overall pick on cornerback Jeff Okudah from the Detroit Lions.

Adding Bates and Okudah to a Falcons secondary that already features one of the league’s best cornerbacks in A.J. Terrell could make for frustrating Sundays in the NFC South, considering that Atlanta’s rivals will be starting either newly signed veterans [Derek Carr and Baker Mayfield] attempting to rejuvenate their careers or a rookie [Bryce Young].

Injecting five new starters on defense should make the Falcons squad one of the more intriguing units to monitor this season as the team looks to take a step forward during the 2023 season by getting back into the playoffs.

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