Former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dwight Freeney broke his own news Tuesday night when the seven-time Pro Bowl player announced he was joining the Seattle Seahawks.
Was it a bad move for the Falcons not to re-sign Freeney? Coach Dan Quinn said in mid-June that he spoke with Freeney, and the 37-year-old relayed his intentions to continue playing. During the same conversation, Quinn said he made it clear that he was focused on the players currently on the roster and developing his young pass-rushers.
Quinn also said he'd never totally rule out signing Freeney. When Vic Beasley Jr. suffered a hamstring injury in a Week 2 victory over Green Bay, there was thought of Freeney possibly returning. However, the Falcons obviously believed Beasley's injury wasn't serious enough to warrant bringing back Freeney. Instead, Quinn moved rookie first round pick Takk McKinley over from the right edge to Beasley's spot on the left, with Brooks Reed and Derrick Shelby also playing left end in the nickel package.
The Falcons lost defensive lineman Jack Crawford to a season-ending biceps tear and defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw missed a few weeks with an ankle/knee injury. Both Crawford and Upshaw are primarily interior guys, and Freeney is best suited off the edge, although he did rush from the interior in a few situations last year.
Freeney had three sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 399 defensive snaps played for the Falcons in 2016, primarily as a designated pass-rusher. In three playoff games, Freeney contributed one sack and a tackle in 80 snaps. He also helped mentor players such as Beasley and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
The Falcons could use help anywhere possible to help recover from a three-game losing streak. Maybe re-signing Freeney could have helped from a leadership standpoint on a young defense still trying to mature. But the Falcons had more pressing immediate needs because of injuries at linebacker, with led to the re-signing of veteran Sean Weatherspoon.
The Falcons have had their moments generating pressure. Beasley and Reed each have three sacks to lead the team. But the team's 14 total sacks are tied for 20th in the league. Last year, the Falcons finished tied for 16th with 34 sacks.
When Beasley regains full strength after the hamstring injury, that should help the Falcons' cause. And their next opponent, the New York Jets, rank 26th in the league in sacks allowed per pass attempt, with Josh McCown being sacked 22 times -- twice as many times as the Falcons' Matt Ryan.
But the Falcons might not know if they truly missed out on re-signing Freeney until Week 11 in Seattle, when the Falcons and Seahawks battle on Monday night. If Freeney uses that signature spin move on Jake Matthews a few times and gets to Ryan, he could show the Falcons what they missed.