Falcons Urged to Roll the Dice on Former 1st-Round Edge Rusher

Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department argued the Atlanta Falcons should sign a former first-round edge rusher to try and solve their pass rushing problems.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons pass rush reverted back to its season norm in Week 10. In the 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons posted 1 quarterback hit and didn't record a sack.

There are no real immediate solutions to the Falcons pass rushing problems. The NFL trade deadline has passed, and general manager Terry Fontenot isn't going to find a major upgrade on another team's practice squad.

But perhaps he can supplement what's currently on the roster with a flier. That's what Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department argued the Falcons should consider.

On Nov. 11, the BR staff wrote Atlanta should sign former first-round pick Shaq Lawson.

"Matthew Judon has been a disappointment for the Falcons. Heading into this weekend, he has recorded just 13 pressures on 201 pass-rush snaps according to Pro Football Focus, which comes out to about a 6.5 percent pressure rate. That is a major reason why edge-rusher is the team's biggest weakness right now," wrote the BR staff.

"Atlanta should consider Shaq Lawson, who was released from the Carolina Panthers practice squad in late October. Last season, Lawson appeared in 16 games with the Buffalo Bills and recorded one sack and 10 quarterback pressures.

"Adding him wouldn't solve the defense's pass-rush issues alone, but Lawson could at least be another option to turn to for the rest of the season."

Lawson is currently a free agent because the Carolina Panthers released him from their practice squad on Oct. 22. He played one game for the Panthers this season. Lawson didn't register a statistic while playing 14 defensive snaps in that contest.

The Buffalo Bills drafted Lawson at No. 19 overall in the 2016 NFL draft. While he never lived up to his draft hype, he put together three consecutive seasons with at least 4 sacks and 12 quarterback hits from 2018-20.

Last season, Lawson returned to the Bills after stints with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. He posted 13 combined tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, 7 quarterback hits and 1 sack in 16 games during 2023.

As Bleacher Report explained, Lawson won't completely fix the Falcons pass rush. They have only nine sacks, which is last in the league. The Falcons have at least three fewer sacks than every other NFL team who has played at least 10 games.

The Falcons are also last in sack percentage and second-to-last in pressure rate.

But maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle with Lawson. There's little risk of signing him to the team's practice squad.