Falcon Report

Key For D: What Can Falcons Second-Year LB Ade Ogundeji Bring To Defense?

Ogundeji started 11 games as a rookie in 2021.

Jeremy Brener

The Atlanta Falcons need a lot of help on defense, especially on the pass rush front after recording a league-low 18 sacks last season.

While most of the improvement is expected to land on veteran free agent Lorenzo Carter and rookies Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone, second-year linebacker Ade Ogundeji is another key cog to the machine.

Ogundeji recorded 33 tackles last season and one sack while starting in 11 games for the club as a rookie. As a second-year player, Ogundeji's role is expected to increase.

Arthur Smith on Ogundeji: "Ade's not a flashy guy. Just a really, really solid person. I love his mindset ... He's tough, smart. Played a lot of good snaps for us last year but they started figuring out and he understands what the strengths of his game are - setting an edge, developing a consistent rush move; you can use a guy like Ade in the pressure packages. If he figures out how to set some of these games up, he can be a very effective player."

The youth Atlanta has on defense makes you excited for the potential, and the lack of veterans ahead of Ogundeji and others on the depth chart will allow these young players to see a considerable amount of reps, which improves their development. And that's what training camp is all about.

Can this translate to regular-season success? That remains to be seen. Ultimately, players like Ogundeji will have to take the reps and development they have made during training camp and preseason to make strides when the games begin to count.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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