Atlanta makes a welcome move, adding a useful player to a group that needs the help.
The Atlanta Falcons need some kind of help for their outside linebacker group, which has generated very little pressure this year despite boasting a well-known veteran they traded a third round pick for, a former second round pick, and two former third round picks in the group.
Matthew Judon, Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, and DeAngelo Malone have not been able to do much this year, which is deeply frustrating. The Falcons are hoping Judon and Ebiketie can get going a bit, but Carter has looked like a shell of himself and Malone has really only made an impact on special teams. Some kind of move needed to be made, and the Falcons have made one.
That would be adding Demone Harris to the active roster. Harris is only credited with a single pressure by Pro Football Focus, but in the three games he spent as a practice squad elevation, Harris impressed me with his relentlessness and Atlanta seemed willing to move him around a bit. A solid run defender, Harris’s tenacity opens up opportunities for others, and he has an encouraging if limited history in his NFL career of generating pressure himself. At the very least, he’s going to offer this defense more than Malone and quite possibly Carter, and given this team’s need for improvement of any kind on that side of the ball, he was a worthwhile addition. I’m hopeful we’ll see the Falcons promote fellow practice squad player and useful piece Khalid Kareem, too, but for the moment Harris is a fine addition.
The corresponding move, which happened the other day, was the release of center Jovaughn Gwyn. The Falcons appeared to really like the former seventh round pick, who had been on the 53 man roster each of the past two seasons, and I’d anticipate that he’ll join the practice squad at some point if another team doesn’t scoop him up. It’s a bit surprising that after holding on to him for so long, Atlanta would just let him go, but perhaps they feel good about A) the return of Drew Dalman and B) what Matt Hennessy offers as an emergency center.
