The New England Patriots‘ rebuild is now full speed ahead following their trading of star pass rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons Wednesday.
Now with Judon, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mac Jones gone, the Patriots are completely committing to a rebuild that will officially turn the page to a new era in the franchise’s history.
And while the Patriots are entering a rebuild, the Falcons are continuing to build a team that is currently a trendy pick to win the NFC South.
Matthew Judon Trade Details
The Patriots receive: a 2025 third-round draft pick
The Falcons receive: Matthew Judon
Who Won the Judon Trade?
Easy. The Falcons absolutely won this trade. When it comes to the Falcons, all the talk surrounds their offense going into the 2024 season. Rightfully so, especially after they signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in free agency.
How Judon Can Help the Falcons Defense?
But now, the Falcons’ defense has a bona fide pass rusher in Judon. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler with 66.5 sacks in his first eight seasons, including a season-high 15.5 in 2022. He was on pace to eclipse that total in 2023 with four sacks in four games before a torn bicep sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Judon has played for the Patriots and Ravens in his first eight seasons, two teams that understand defense. He can bring that experience to a Falcons team that has lacked a dominant defense throughout its franchise history.
The Falcons are, historically, an offense-first team. They haven’t had a lot of great defensive players come through their organization, at least since Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey was with the Falcons in their early years. The Falcons haven’t had a player with double-digit sacks since Vic Beasley Jr. in 2016, the year the Falcons went to Super Bowl 51.
Worth noting: Since their playoff appearance in 2017, the Falcons haven’t had a winning season.
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The Falcons had some expectations going into 2023 but sputtered to a second straight 7-10 season. A big reason for the Falcons’ struggles was their defense, a unit that allowed 100+ rushing yards 11 times. The Falcons also allowed 400+ yards in each of their final two games, knocking them out of playoff contention. While their defense forced 19 fumbles and recovered 18 of them, 42 sacks were not enough for their defense to make a difference.
That’s where Judon can help. Now with a contender, led by a defensive-minded head coach in Raheem Morris, expect Judon to be a lot happier and to play inspired this season. Morris has experience coaching great defensive linemen, including Aaron Donald the last three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator. Judon joins a Falcons defense that already has Grady Jarrett, Arnold Ebikeitie, A.J. Terrell, Richie Grant, and Jessie Bates III.
Where Do the Patriots Go From Here?
Losing Judon is a big blow to a Patriots defense that ranked in the top quarter of the NFL in several defensive statistical categories. Christian Barmore is battling blood clots, and his timetable for a return is still unknown. Depth is running thin along the Patriots’ defensive line, which is still a team strength with players like Davon Godchaux and Deatrich Wise Jr.
That depth is going to have to step up to combat an unproven secondary and an offense that’s likely to struggle this season.
Head coach Jerod Mayo has a defensive background, but this is going to be a major challenge in 2024 now without the Patriots’ best defensive player from the previous three seasons. The Patriots are in a full-on rebuild with the face of their defense, the team’s strength, traded to Atlanta. The outlook for their 2024 season just got more bleak.
According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and Houston Texans were also discussing a trade for Judon with the Patriots.
#Bears #Dolphins were the other teams involved in #Patriots #Falcons trade for pass rusher Matthew Judon, dealt for third-round pick, per league sources. #Texans made brief inquiry, but nothing developed @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 15, 2024