2023 Free Agent Acquisition for Atlanta Falcons Called Most Underrated Player

The Atlanta Falcons’ 2023 offseason was overall a success for general manager Terry Fontenot. He drafted arguably the best player on the roster in All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III and found his two best sack leaders last season in defensive end Calais Campbell and edge rusher Bud Dupree. Another player in this flurry of moves who sometimes doesn’t get his due is defensive lineman David Onyemata, but NFL Network’s Tom Blair gave him his due, calling him the Falcons’ most underrated player ever. The 2024 season is approaching.

Onyemata practically turned “flying under the radar” into an art form in New Orleans during the first part of his career, averaging nearly four sacks and 28.8 QB pressures between 2017 and 2022 , according to Next Gen Stats. And he didn’t miss a beat in his first season with the Falcons, providing a respectable 35 QB pressures and four sacks. It was the fourth straight time he finished with more than 31 pressures, and the fifth time in eight seasons. Onyemata’s age (he turns 32 in November) should only help bolster his underrated bona fides.

Blair pointed out something important when talking about Onyemata in the future: the guy is getting older. That hasn’t stopped him yet, especially last season when he had the most tackles (50) and most defensive stops (28) since his breakout season in 2019 with the New Orleans Saints, while recording the lowest missed tackle rate of his career (10.4%), according to PFF.

Head coach Raheem Morris and Fontenot knew he and running mate Grady Jarrett were starting to age, so they decided to bring in some reinforcements to help lighten some of their load. Drafting Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus and Zion Logue was a sign that the Falcons wanted to establish a steady rotation on the interior of the defense. Giving Jarrett and Onyemata those snaps and allowing them to give it their all on critical downs and distances, such as crucial third downs, should give the Falcons an added advantage this year, while also giving these youngsters a chance to compete. acclimate to the speed of the NFL.