Falcons steal away Lamar Jackson’s Pro Bowl teammate in another big splash

The Atlanta Falcons made a move to acquire a Ravens player… But perhaps not the one Atlanta fans wanted most.

All eyes were on arguably QB-needy teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts when Lamar Jackson revealed to the NFL world on Monday that he had requested a trade away from the Baltimore Ravens all the way back in early March.

The Falcons quickly committed to Desmond Ridder, the Cincy product who just completed his rookie season, starting four games in 2022.

That didn’t stop the Falcons from making a move with a former Raven, though.

Falcons sign Calais Campbell to fortify its defense

The Falcons bolstered its defense on Tuesday by signing defensive end Calais Campbell to the roster. Campbell will be entering his 16th year in the league, having spent the last three years in Baltimore after playing previously with the Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Campbell has been named to the Pro Bowl team six times, an All-Pro once, and won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2019.

Though his best days figure to be behind him, he recorded 14.5 and 10.5 sacks in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

After seeing a significant drop-off in sack totals in 2019-2021, Campbell bounced back from his three-year tumble and jumped from 1.5 sacks in 2021 to 5.5 in 2022, a bright sign that likely contributed to the Falcons rewarding him with a one-year deal to help its defense.

Campbell will enter a division that will have three new quarterbacks on the oppositional teams. Tampa Bay looks poised to run out Baker Mayfield as its Tom Brady replacement, the Saints signed Derek Carr, and the Carolina Panthers draft first in the draft this year after trading with the Bears. They are almost certainly going to take C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State.

Campbell’s goal will be to get each of those three new NFC South QBs on the ground as often as possible in his six games against the team.

The Falcons add Campbell to a defense that features Grady Jarrett in a tackle position (team-leading 6.0 sacks in 2022) and recently re-signed Lorenzo Carter on the edge (4.0 sacks in 2022).

There may be questions swirling around the Falcons and their offensive capabilities, but the pass rush they’ll roll out in 2023 should be relatively dominant.