The Atlanta Falcons faced a massive overhaul on defense in the past NFL draft when they selected two edge rushers and two safeties. With a defense as young as Atlanta's, there were always going to be growing pains that this group would be forced to fight through.
However, allowing over 240 rushing yards to Jonathan Taylor in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts is unacceptable, no matter the situation. The Falcons rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed on the season. With Atlanta now sitting at 3-6 and losing four straight games, the blame game is only intensifying. The run defense needs to be addressed immediately. Here is what the front office needs to do to turn around this abysmal defense, and quickly.
Here are three potential fixes for the issues facing the Falcons on the defensive side of the ball.
1. Gain Experience from Veterans in Free Agency
Between injuries and the team's youth movement on that side of the ball, the Falcons don't possess a lot of run support help, specifically at linebacker. James Pearce and Jalon Walker are primarily pass rushers, and Divine Deablo and Troy Andersen have had injury issues throughout the season. The Atlanta could greatly benefit from some veteran help at stuffing the run. Names like Bobby Wagner or former Falcon De'Vondre Campbell could make great additions to the linebacker room moving forward. Not only would this add veteran experience, but it would make rotations and depth much more valuable for Atlanta.
2. Fill Defensive Line with Run-Stuffers
The Falcons could use a complete overhaul of their interior defensive line. Their depth is quite limited, and there are no proven players who can be relied upon to address this issue. They have promising talent in Ruke Orhorhoro and Zach Harrison, but those two have yet to prove themselves. Bringing in some nose tackles like former All-Pro Linval Joseph or Johnathan Hankins would really benefit this defense. These players are known for being big bodies who can stuff the line of scrimmage and make things difficult for the offense. Veteran additions like those would help Jeff Ulbrich's defense the most, as it would provide him with the ability to rotate big guys on the defensive line more frequently.
3. Slow Down from Blitzing
Compared to recent years, Atlanta has blitzed the quarterback much more frequently during the 2025 campaign. The Falcons' blitz rate so far this season is 49.2%, the highest in the NFL. Blitzing might be one way to bring pressure to the QB, but it also opens up large gaps when linebackers leave their designated zone. Atlanta would greatly benefit from easing up on the blitz and playing a bit more conservatively on defense. The Falcons should not have to worry about sending extensive blitzes after using high-end draft capital on two All-SEC players to come off the edge.