Will Terrell McClain Help the Atlanta Falcons?
The Atlanta Falcons announced they signed Terrell McClain today. Will he actually help the team?
After losing Dontari Poe in free agency, the Falcons needed depth at the defensive tackle position.
They drafted Deadrin Senat, but rookies typically don’t make immediate impacts.
Although it would be great to see Senat play heavy minutes, he is likely a long-term investment.
He will probably be the starter in his second or third season rather than this year.
After McClain was released by the Washington Redskins, he was viewed one of the best defensive tackles still available.I’m not sure if that is a fair assessment of him after watching his film though.
He visited the Cowboys, 49ers, and Dolphins before signing with the Falcons.
The Falcons will be McClain’s fifth team since entering the league, which might explain why he was still available in early May.
Since entering the league, McClain has 110 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and made 15 starts in 2016.
That ended up being his best season, as he racked in a career-high 40 tackles and 2.5 sacks. These numbers show that our expectations for McClain shouldn’t be overly high this year though.
I honestly do not expect him to make an overly big impact for the team. This seems to be more of a depth move than an expectation that he’ll start this year.
Obviously, there is a chance he ends up breaking out this year and exceeds my expectations.
Based on his career so far though, I think 2-3 sacks and 30 tackles is a fair prediction.
Do you think the Falcons made a smart signing or should they have gone with someone else?
I personally thought Johnathan Hankins would have been a better move. He’s been much more productive during his time in the NFL, and he’s younger than McClain.
Let me know in the comments if you wanted them to choose someone else!