FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The excitement is evident.
The Atlanta Falcons agreed to terms on a trade that would send a 2025 third-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for pass rusher Matthew Judon, it was announced Thursday. The transaction is pending Judon’s physical. But the buzz is already real.
“Anytime you can add a dog, really, to your group and have him be able to come be a part of that, that is exciting,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “I think we have excitement for that. I think he has excitement for that. I think a couple of our players that actually know him personally have excitement for that.
“His reputation precedes himself.”
Judon is a fifth-round draft pick turned four-time Pro Bowler. The Baltimore Ravens selected Judon in 2016 out of Grant Valley State University. And he has thrived ever since. His first Pro Bowl season came in 2019 when he was still with the Ravens. He started all 16 games for the first time in his career and totaled what was then a personal-best 9.5 sacks. That was in addition to four forced fumbles, 33 quarterback hits and 54 combined tackles.
That 2019 season was the first of four-straight Pro Bowl years for Judon. It was in 2022 with the Patriots, however, Judon put together his best performance so far with 15.5 sacks, 28 quarterback hits and 60 combined tackles. He also had a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups that year.
“The Pro Bowl thing is impressive,” Morris said. “But actually going out there and playing against this dog when he was in Baltimore, when we were here in 2016; I remember (wide receiver) Mohamed Sanu having to sift him and said, ‘Man, I’m not doing that.’ And he said, ‘Let’s spread this thing out, man. Let the big people block the big people, man.’ Having that type of recall from that type of a player – what he does and what he can bring to the table – is always fun.”
Judon has played against the Falcons twice – in 2018 with the Ravens and in 2021 with the Patriots. He was a part of the winning team each time, and he was responsible for one sack against former quarterback Matt Ryan in 2021.
With 66.5 career sacks to his name, including two double-digit-sack seasons in the last three years, the Falcons hope Judon can provide the kind of pressure off the edge fans have been clamoring for. It’s the type of move Morris has direct experience with, and he understands the type of…
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