Eddie Goldman Retires; Falcons Should Sign All-Pro Suh

Ndamukong Suh is coming off a three-year stint with the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With defensive tackle Eddie Goldman retiring abruptly before the start of training camp, the Atlanta Falcons have a massive gap to fill in their defensive line.

Goldman's retirement leaves the roster at 89 players, one shy of the 90-man maximum for training camp, which kicked off Tuesday with rookies reporting.

The Falcons could allow the rest of their young players to fight for Goldman's vacated role, but the fact that Atlanta signed Goldman just two weeks ago showed that the team valued a veteran presence on the defensive line.

It's very possible the Falcons could go sign a new player before next Tuesday when veterans report, and that player could be five-time Pro Bowler Ndamukong Suh.

Suh hasn't missed a game in the last 10 seasons, but recorded a career-worst 27 tackles last season with the Bucs, which led to Tampa choosing not to re-sign him.

Suh, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, has had a successful career with the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And even at 35, Suh has enough in the tank to be an effective player on a defensive line this season.

His six sacks last season would have led the Falcons, a team that had just 18 sacks combined as a team. Atlanta also allowed 131.9 rushing yards per game, while Tampa Bay was third in the league, allowing just 91.6.

Suh wasn't the only reason behind that, but adding an element from one of the best defensive lines in the league should help improve one of the worst.