Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Reveals Eddie Goldman Status; Retiring Again?

Eddie Goldman has yet to report to Atlanta Falcons training camp despite unretiring back in March.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 28, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are excited about the return of defensive lineman Eddie Goldman ... but his comeback may be short-lived.

Coach Arthur Smith spoke to reporters Friday and cast doubt on whether Goldman would actually follow through on his return.

"There’s a possibility," Smith said via The Athletic's Josh Kendall regarding Goldman's return. "He looked phenomenal when he showed up the other day, but you never know what somebody is going through. We’ll have a final answer by tomorrow."

Arguably the most pleasant surprise of the Falcons offseason was the return of defensive lineman Eddie Goldman.

The Falcons removed Goldman from the reserve/retired list in March, just eight months after he decided he didn't want to play with Atlanta.

Goldman is back with the Falcons on a one-year deal and Atlanta is happy to have him ... should he want to play.

“With Eddie, we are excited,” Smith said. “Eddie is a guy that we had some familiarity with. Talking to Eddie last summer, he signed his contract and then decided that he didn’t want to play. So, we put him (on) the reserve/retired list.”

Goldman spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears after being selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. A former top recruit out of Florida State, Goldman has recorded 175 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hits, 13 sacks and two fumble recoveries in 81 games.

Now, he's looking to add on to those numbers with the Falcons.

If Goldman is part of Atlanta's plans, the Falcons defensive line looks a lot more promising. The team is bringing back Grady Jarrett and signing veterans David Onyemata and Calais Campbell to improve what has been one of the worst defensive lines in the league past few years.

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Published Jul 28, 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.