Falcons have signed DL Jonathan Bullard & re-signed DE Steven means

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The Falcons have added depth on the defensive front; one is a familiar face.

I already covered Josh Andrews here if you want to read about what he brings to the table. Steven Means had been with the Falcons from 2018-2020, and Terry Fontenot has decided to bring him back. Means mostly served as a rotational pass rusher for the Falcons, notching three sacks for Atlanta in 2020 and one sack in 2018. He missed all of 2019 with an Achilles injury, but he has actually produced some clutch plays during his Falcons tenure:

Means will serve in the same role as a rotational pass rusher in 2021 and hopefully forces more turnovers in Dean Pees’ attacking hybrid defense. He was tied for the third-most sacks on the 2020 Falcons.

Jonathan Bullard spent 2020 with Seattle, and he was effective as a pass rusher up the middle. He didn’t have any sacks, but he generated a decent amount of pressure up the middle. Bullard is another rotational player; in 11 career starts and 61 career games, he has 3.5 sacks, 13 TFLs, 14 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. He’s just fine as defensive line depth on a one-year deal, especially fitting in Pees’ versatile scheme as he can line up in multiple alignments along the line of scrimmage.

The Falcons continue to bolster both trenches with cheap depth on one-year deals, possibly hoping to go big game hunting next offseason. I trust Terry Fontenot’s ability to find diamonds in the rough, so hopefully, these bargain signings can help out a very thin and unproven Falcons defense.

 

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