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5 players who Falcons need to be great in 2020

By Rucker Haringey

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 27: Grady Jarrett #97 of the Atlanta Falcons reacts after sacking Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 27: Grady Jarrett #97 of the Atlanta Falcons reacts after sacking Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Dante Fowler, Atlanta Falcons
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: Dante Fowler #56 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates while playing the Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

1. Dante Fowler, Jr.

In essence, the Falcons swapped Beasley for Fowler this offseason. Both edge rushers have a ton of talent but have struggled to maximize their production in the NFL. Atlanta needs Fowler to come up big in 2020.

At the bare minimu, Quinn and his defensive coaching staff need Fowler to give them at least the 11.5 sacks he produced for the Rams in 2019. They’d love to see him show even more burst off the edge.

The presence of Jarrett on the inside should give Fowler more opportunities to work against single blocks. The question is whether or not someone like Allen Bailey or Takk McKinley can do enough on the other edge to keep protections from always shading themselves towards Fowler’s side of the field.

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The simple truth is that Fowler will need to play the best football of his career to elevate this pass rush to become an average NFL unit. The Falcons are paying him like he can produce that level of greatness. 2020 will be the year where Fowler proves whether or not he can truly become a star.

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