Falcons DT David Onyemata 'Pretty Excited' to Play With Grady Jarrett

Grady Jarrett has a new defensive line teammate in David Onyemata. Can the Atlanta Falcons do damage with that pair in 2023?

Jeremy Brener | Mar 18, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

Arguably one of the biggest items the Atlanta Falcons needed to take care of in the offseason was finding a defensive tackle to play next to former Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett.

The Falcons wasted little time finding someone, signing former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman David Onyemata to a three-year $35 million contract.

Onyemata expressed his excitement in playing next to one of the league's premier defensive tackles.

"I'm pretty excited," Onyemata told FOX 5. "It takes a lot off at the same time, having someone of that caliber right next to you. So, that's something I'm really looking forward to ... A player like Grady and such the career that he's had to this day, it speaks for itself."

Last season, Onyemata recorded five sacks for the Saints. Had he been on the Falcons, that number would have put him in second place behind Jarrett, who had six.

Onyemata signing with the Falcons continues his working relationship with defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who has been alongside him with the Saints since 2017.

Nielsen's specialty as a defensive coordinator comes with building strong defensive lines, and Onyemata has been part of that formula for years. Bringing some familiarity from Nielsen's schemes in New Orleans and pairing it with Jarrett in Atlanta could have the Falcons defense among the league's most improved units in 2023.

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Published Mar 18, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.