One year ago the Atlanta Falcons were all in. They had just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract and they were looking for mercenaries to help him out. Justin Simmons was among the cast of reinforcements hoping to fix a leaky Falcons defense, but the moves didn’t work out as Cousins was benched and Atlanta allowed the 10th most points (423) and 11th most yards per play (5.5).
While Simmons turned out to be a free agent bust, he wasn’t the only player that didn’t do his job. Another imported Falcon was acquired in a trade last offseason and after a failed year in Atlanta, he could be on his way to failing spectacularly with his new team.
Former Falcons EDGE Matt Judon is Doomed Before He Plays a Snap for Dolphins
Former Falcons edge rusher Matt Judon finally found work on Monday evening, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. The 33-year-old has had a productive career, collecting 72 total sacks over nine seasons including four straight Pro Bowl campaigns in 2019 and 2020 with the Baltimore Ravens and 2021 and 2022 with the New England Patriots. But while Judon belongs in the “Hall of Pretty Good,” the Dolphins should expect the player that showed up in Atlanta.
Judon’s sack numbers don’t look terrible, as he managed 5.5 sacks for Atlanta last season. But Pro Football Focus was not a fan of his overall play, pegging him with a career-low overall grade of 43.0. He also managed just 25 total pressures on 328 pass-rushing snaps, which meant he either got to the quarterback or didn’t do much to affect the play.
You could make the case that Judon could be better another year from the torn biceps that ended his 2023 season after four games. But it’s more likely that he’s a player wearing down into his mid-30s.
Judon played over 700 snaps five times from 2017 to 2022 and his 655 snaps were his fewest in a season where he didn’t suffer a major injury since playing 632 snaps in 2020. In that season, he at least managed a 13.6% pressure rate compared to the 7.6% rate he posted last year.
It puts Judon in a situation where he may not be able to live up to the $6 million the Dolphins are paying him and leave Atlanta in a position to trust a stable of young pass rushers. If James Pearce Jr., Arnold Ebikete or Jaylon Walker break out, it could leave the memories of Judon’s disappointing season in the rear view mirror.