Falcons Will Prioritize Pass Rush in NFL Draft, Free Agency

The Atlanta Falcons are focused on improving their 31st-ranked pass rush this offseason, be it in free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft.

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) led the team with 16 quarterback hits. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons' pass rush had a tale of two seasons -- but neither had any effect on how the organization plans to address the position this offseason.

Atlanta had only 10 sacks through its first 11 games, which ranked last in the NFL. But after their Week 12 bye, the Falcons tallied 21 sacks, the second-most league wide. They finished with 31 sacks and ranked second-to-last in the NFL, but with more optimism and satisfaction than they once had.

Still, Atlanta plans on adding to its pass rush, head coach Raheem Morris said during his end-of-season press conference Monday, because of the value the organization puts on it.

"You never say it's not going to be an offseason priority, just for the philosophy of the organization that starts up front," Morris said. "You can be No. 1 in sacks or last, that's still going to be a priority. If you can get after the quarterback, you can play really good defense, and that's always going to be a priority for us."

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was pleased with his team's pass rush after the bye week, citing improved play from outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie, whose five sacks over the final six games ranked fifth best in the NFL, and inside linebacker Kaden Elliss, who led the NFL in pass rush success rate.

Ebiketie led the team with six sacks, while outside linebacker Matthew Judon wasn't far behind with 5.5 sacks. Elliss added five sacks and a team-high 16 quarterback hits. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett recorded only 2.5 sacks but 12 hits, tied with Ebiketie for the second-best mark on the team.

Judon is an impending free agent, but Ebiketie, Elliss, Jarrett and a wealth of others return to the Falcons' front seven.

Fontenot likes the Falcons' group -- but he, like Morris, wants more.

"We have pressure players," Fontenot said Thursday. "We have to add to that. We showed ability, we showed improvement in that area, but that definitely needs to be an area that we continue to improve."

It's possible the Falcons find improvement through schematics. Morris was non-committal on defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's future, instead noting Atlanta is in the process of evaluating everyone from players to coaches. Fontenot gave the same answer when asked about potential staff changes.

Regardless of who coordinates the defense or coaches the pass rushers, Fontenot said the Falcons' defensive evolution starts from within -- a process beginning this week as Atlanta's front office and staff sifts through and evaluates each position.

"Part of it is we have to develop players in the building," Fontenot said. "We have to make sure we're doing that. So every player, we're getting the best version [and] they can get the best version of themselves. So, we have to develop in the building.

"And then we'll have to look outside and look at the areas we do have to enhance. Whether it's free agency, the draft, we have to find those ways to continue to build that team to be more consistent."

Morris added the Falcons will sit down and explore different ways to acquire more pass rushers and be creative in the process -- with hopes of finding a seasons worth of success similar to what they did over the final six weeks of 2024.

"The better you can make those moments, the better you can make those things," Morris said, "the better you can be."