Falcons Pass Rusher to 'Get More Opportunities' After Defensive Debut vs. Cowboys

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake knew two things: His unit's pass rush needed to be better, but outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone wasn't a viable solution at the moment.

It was Oct. 24, and the Falcons had a league-low six sacks in seven games. Yet Lake, in his first year as an NFL defensive coordinator, didn't foresee Malone becoming part of the answer.

"At this point right now, that wouldn't happen," Lake said about Malone seeing defensive action. "When he earns that right and also maybe through attrition, that could be a possibility."

Three days later, the Falcons topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 but registered no sacks or even a quarterback hit in 50 pass attempts.

Evidently, the performance -- which Lake noted was a step back for the unit -- proved enough to spark change in Lake's philosophy during a Week 9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Atlanta reduced outside linebacker Matt Judon's snaps to a season-low 52% of the team's total, while third year outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie played a season-high 70%. Malone, who played only two snaps on defense in 2023, was on the field for 30% of the Falcons' defensive action.

Lake wanted fresher bodies. So, he turned to Malone -- who in only 10 days gave his play caller a reason to sing a different tune while Atlanta tallied a season-best three sacks.

"So happy for DeAngelo," Lake said Thursday. "He really earned his right to get some more playing time. He's done everything we've asked on special teams -- he's been one of our best special teams players from game in, game out.

"And then in practice, he showed up, getting around the quarterback, getting around the quarterback, and decided to give him an opportunity."

Malone collected two tackles and a tackle for loss against Dallas while adding one quarterback hurry. The 25-year-old didn't record any sacks or hits, but he impressed Atlanta's coaching staff during his time on the field.

"Gave us great energy," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Monday. "He didn't get the sack production, but like his running out the stack, his rushing the passer, had a couple really good bull rushes, able to turn and run and run down some people on some of the lower check downs and things of that nature."

Lake said the Falcons' defensive rotations were off early in the season, resulting in players becoming gassed. Now, he believes they're fresher. Malone's addition, Lake said, adds to the unit's freshness.

Atlanta still isn't where it wants to be rushing the passer, but it feels it found better balance with Malone in the mix in Week 9.

As such, Malone appears poised to factor into the Falcons' defensive gameplans for the immediate future.

"He gave us some energy, gave us some juice, got some quarterback pressures," Lake said, "and I think you'll continue to see him get some more opportunities to rush the passer."

Those opportunities have been almost three years in the making for Malone, who twice won Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year at Western Kentucky University and finished his college career with 34 sacks.

Yet in Atlanta, Malone has been used sparingly on defense.

As a rookie in 2022, he played in 15 games but saw the same number of snaps on special teams (216) as defense, where he was on the field only 22% of the time. His season ended with 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and four total pressures.

Entering 2023 with hopes of making the patented second-year leap, Malone played almost exclusively on special teams. He saw 364 special teams snaps, 78% of the team's total, but only two on defense -- one apiece in Weeks 15 and 16.

This year, Malone has remained a special teams ace. He's seen 81% of the snaps in the game's third phase, and he's tied for second on the team with four tackles in return coverage.

Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett called Malone "one of the more dominant" special teams players in the NFL -- and entirely deserving of the chance to see action on defense.

"So happy for DLo," Jarrett said Wednesday. "He's a guy who just owned his role. I think he always wanted a bigger role, but he never complained, showed up to work, grinded since he got here. Just working to get better and better.

"He's going to continue to get better and continue to try to put himself in position to get more turns on defense."

Jarrett noted if Malone didn't have the right mindset and strictly wanted to play defense, he may not have put himself in position to prove himself and get the opportunity.

But the 6 foot 3 inch, 235-pound Malone did what was asked of him -- which now includes helping transform Atlanta's lackluster pass rush into a unit capable of making an impact.

"Sometimes, things don't go your way, but if you find a way to be a contributor, in the long run, it definitely can work out for you," Jarrett said, "and it's working out for him. He's always got a positive attitude, super hard worker and I'm excited to see his growth continue."