Matthew Judon trade is a win-win for Falcons and Patriots

Another trade has finally come to fruition this NFL offseason. New England Patriots Pass rusher Matthew Judon Atlanta Falcons They did get a 2025 third-round pick, which is pretty much a win for both sides.

Let’s start with the team’s acquisition of Judon. The Atlanta Falcons bolstered their offensive line, signing QB Kirk Cousins ​​and WR Darnell Mooney to upgrade an offensive line that already featured young stars like WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and RB Bijan Robinson. But their defense, especially the edge, had a lot of question marks. DT Grady Jarrett was still coming off a torn ACL last year, and it would take a long time for the pass rush to get back on track. On the edge, the Falcons bolstered their force with a random mix of Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketi, and James Smith-Williams. On top of that, rookie edge Brallen Trice, who was supposed to play a key role in the pass rush group, ended his season on injured reserve with a knee injury.

The Falcons are in desperate need of a pass rush addition, and Judon makes a lot of sense for this team. He’s a traditional 3-4 SAM defender who is strong on the edge against the run and is a great pass rusher who designs games and stunts. The arrival of Raheem Morris from Los Angeles adds an edge guy who can stunt, loop and finish under pressure. I still don’t fully justify drafting Michael Pennis Jr. with the 8th overall pick, but the Falcons got their QB of the future and a star pass rusher in the offseason. So it all worked out, right?

From New England’s perspective, this team is rebuilding and they know it. Judon wouldn’t have gotten the big contract he wanted from a Patriots team that’s not in the same phase as Judon, and getting a third-round pick back for a 32-year-old EDGE rusher who missed the second half of 2023 with an injury is good business. Judon is a star pass rusher, but I think New England will be okay when it comes to stopping the run. With the way they’re playing defense, Anfernee Jennings and Keion White on the edge, they should still be good up front against the run. But where they’ll lose a lot of productivity is the pass rush. Not only will Judon be gone, but DT Christian Barmore will be gone for the time being due to a blood clot, and the pass rush will drop off significantly. They really need EDGE Josh Uche to be a constant threat on passing downs and White to win when he moves inside in obvious pass-through situations. But it’s not the most ideal situation for New England. The pass rush will be very difficult, and it will be even harder for the secondary to stop the offense. It will be tough for first-year defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington to mount a pass rush without ace Judon, but if any team can still win defensively, it’s New England.

Overall, the trade is a win for both sides: Atlanta gets a much-needed pass rush boost and New England gets another pick to kickstart their rebuild.