Falcons' Grady Jarrett Getting Much-Needed Help on Defensive Line

Grady Jarrett is a key piece to the Atlanta Falcons defense, but he will no longer have to carry as large of a burden compared to years' past.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 16, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

Among the biggest priorities for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason was helping the defensive line around Grady Jarrett improve.

General manager Terry Fontenot and the front office certainly made that happen by signing defensive tackle David Onyemata and defensive end Calais Campbell among others to beef up the defensive line.

After finishing 32nd and 31st in the past two seasons in sacks, the Falcons are hoping that statistic will change in 2023.

"When you've got more personnel packages than usual, that certainly helps every player, especially upfront, trying to get matchups," coach Arthur Smith said. "That's the game. There's certain guys that you say, 'Hey, your whole protection scheme has to – we've got to focus on this guy.’ If we don't, then it'll be a long day. When you've got a lot of people, they got to account for that certainly helps you."

Jarrett, 30, has been the heart and soul of the Falcons defensive line since he was drafted in 2015. He's the longest-tenured member on the Falcons defense and only offensive tackle Jake Matthews has called Atlanta home for longer.

But now, with a couple new additions to the defensive line, Jarrett's job should be a little easier as he has help from multiple sources to help go after opposing quarterbacks on Sundays.

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Published Aug 16, 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.