FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons safety Richie Grant is 25 years old. Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White were dominating the line of scrimmage in Pittsburgh more than 20 years before he was born, and the Soviet Union collapsed six years before he was born.
So Grant can be forgiven if, in his excitement talking about the Atlanta Falcons’ revamped defensive line, he confused the Steel Curtain with the Iron Curtain.
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“You heard about the Iron Curtain? We’ve got one of those,” Grant said.
Sure, it’s hyperbole, but the exaggeration is understandable considering the dramatic makeover that occurred in Atlanta this offseason.
The Falcons, whose 39 sacks over the last two seasons rank last in the NFL over that time period, committed $46 million and a third-round draft pick to bring in new defensive linemen after last season.
“I think it’s money well spent,” said defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham, who returns for his third season in Atlanta.
Can't stop. Won't stop. pic.twitter.com/75H7VYkcB9
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) July 27, 2023
The nine defensive linemen and outside linebackers on last year’s initial 53-man roster had an average age of 24.7 years old and had appeared in an average of 24.7 regular-season games. This year’s projected 10-man group — defensive linemen Calais Campbell, Eddie Goldman, Graham, Zach Harrison, Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata and outside linebackers Lorenzo Carter, Bud Dupree, Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone — is 27.3 years old on average with an average of 87.1 games played. (Atlanta likely will keep a larger number of players up front this season because of new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s use of more four-man fronts.)
“I’m soaking up as much knowledge as I can right now,” Carter said. “We have a lot of big-time vets who have played a lot of big-time football.”
The new names are even more impressive than the numbers.
The 6-foot-8, 320-pound Campbell is a former NFL defensive player of the year who has 99 career sacks.
“I played him my rookie year, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s the biggest human being I have ever seen,’ and I still have that feeling,” Falcons offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom said. “Obviously, his resume speaks for itself.”
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Onyemata has tormented the Falcons for the last seven years as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
“He was a pain in the ass to game plan against,” Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith said. “If you want to know who to sign, just listen to your players. Who are the guys they hate blocking? Get those guys. Glad he’s in a Falcons logo and not a Saints logo.”
David Onyemata with the sack!!@BudLight | #BudLightCelly | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Z0swarrcOI
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 30, 2022
Dupree is a former first-round pick with 46 1/2 career sacks.
“I’ll choose my words carefully here. Bud’s a physical football player. I kind of like that,” Smith said. “He fits our culture. I’ve coached against Bud and watched some of the things he brings to the table. Bud’s a tone-setter, that’s putting it nicely.”
Goldman is a six-year veteran with 73 career starts and is coming out of retirement to take a shot at joining this group, although he hasn’t practiced this week because of a personal matter.
“If we didn’t trust Eddie, we wouldn’t have kept him, but we have to make sure we are smart with his return to play,” Smith said. “There’s a progression there.”
The defensive line “certainly feels different” this season, Smith said.
Even before the Falcons have put pads on at training camp and with Campbell temporarily sidelined by a non-football injury, the new front line has made an impression.
“That up front is mean, man. It’s very, very mean,” wide receiver Drake London said. “You can see the tenacity on that side is going to help a lot.”
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Running back Tyler Allgeier called them “stout.” Grant said “nasty.”
“They are making it easy,” Grant said. “I am taking two steps and the ball is coming out. It’s a sack or it’s a duck, so I’m loving that.”
Jarrett is too polite to call the new guys “some help, finally.” Jarrett is entering his ninth year in Atlanta and for much of his first eight seasons, he has been something of a one-man show.
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“I love every teammate I ever played with, but it is good to have some new guys around,” Jarrett said. “You can see it jelling as the days go by. Falcons fans are definitely in for a treat. It’s an exciting time. My mind is in a good place, and I’m feeling good about the guys around me.”
For one thing, Jarrett has gone from the senior defensive lineman to the fourth-oldest player in the meeting room behind Campbell, Onyemata and Dupree.
“Got guys that have played a lot of football,” Jarrett said. “To have the skill, the presence, the body size and the experience we have up front is definitely something that is going to help us a lot.”
The newcomers have all deferred the most vocal leadership position to Jarrett, with Onyemata calling it “Grady’s group.”
“From the get-go, this has been his team,” Onyemata said. “That’s no question.”
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The Falcons gave Jarrett a three-year, $50 million extension in 2022 in hopes of cementing his future as a Falcon and underscoring his position as the leader of the defense.
“Grady is a real guy,” Smith said. “There is nothing phony about Grady Jarrett. I think people respect authentic people. There’s a reason we wanted Grady back and why we invested the way we did. I don’t want to have recency bias, but he’s got to be one of the top leaders I have been around.”
As enthused as Jarrett has been about the new-look line, he cautioned against the idea of “preseason all-stars.”
“With us being us, nobody is going to crown us anything so we have to go put the work in day in and day out,” he said, “but I’m confident the work we are putting in is going to put out a good product.”
(Photo of Grady Jarrett: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
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