3 emergency Falcons trades to help the team run away with the NFC South

Don't let these Falcons get hot, or else... well, we're not quite sure what happens because this is the first year of "these" Falcons, but we're confident it's something good! The Dirty Birds improved to 6-3 on Sunday with a win against the lowly Dallas Cowboys, and they are in prime position to capture an NFC South title, especially with the tiebreaker in their back pocket against Tampa Bay.

But even with things looking as promising as they do right now, why not try to really run away with the division and trade for players who will bolster this team even more? Here are three trades this team can make to lift Atlanta to a bona fide Super Bowl contender.

Azeez Ojulari, EDGE

This is the obvious choice. Despite being 6-3 and playing mostly solid defense, the Falcons are near the bottom of the NFL in sacks with 12 total this season. They recorded three against Dallas — a season high — but some extra help on the edge would be welcome.

Azeez Ojulari has six sacks himself this season. He also plays for a New York Giants team that dropped to 2-7 on Sunday so there's essentially no reason for the upstart pass-rusher to waste away on a Giants team that isn't going to accomplish a whole lot of anything this season. Ojulari wasn't even thought to be a huge part of this Giants defense when the season started, but injuries thrust him into the starting lineup and he's taken advantage of that opportunity in a big way.

Enter, the Atlanta Falcons. While there will be numerous teams interested in the services of Ojulari, he might be the best fit on the Falcons, where he'd likely plug in as a starter immediately. He'd bring Instant impact and plug the biggest need on this Falcons team. Atlanta should be willing to outbid any other team necessary to lock down Ojulari in the next few days.

Za'Darius Smith, EDGE

Repetitive? Maybe. But if there's a clear need on the edge — which there is — the Falcons might as well double down and get the two most game-breaking pass-rushers on the market right now. Cleveland, much like New York, doesn't have much to play for this season and will likely be looking to ship out players who can make a difference elsewhere.

Za'Darius Smith is a 3-time Pro Bowler and can still blitz a quarterback better than most of the league, and he's having a bounce back year after a slower 2023, in which he recorded 5.5 sacks the whole campaign. This year, in eight games, he has 5.5 sacks already.

Going into Week 10 with a totally transformed defensive line and both Smith and Ojulari coming at the quarterback would not only shore up the Falcons pass-rush needs, it would make them one of the more exciting duos in the league.

Jack Conklin, OL

The Falcons offensive line is good — Kirk Cousins has been sacked 15 times this year, far from the most in the league — but has been banged up throughout a lot of the season, so this is more of a cautionary move than anything else. If Atlanta is on the phone discussing Za'Darius Smith, it might as well ask about Conklin too. It's a fire sale in Cleveland after all.

Conklin is a solidly reliable tackle who can fill in a few spots if the Falcons continue to have injury troubles up front. Especially in the playoffs, losing an offensive lineman can be detrimental. Atlanta can breathe a little easier knowing they have some depth on the line, and likely won't need to sacrifice a particularly valuable asset to acquire him.

There aren't many areas of need for the Falcons a little over halfway through the season, so any trade the team does make feels like an added bonus to an already good team.

That's a pretty nice feeling for Falcons fans, who can see an NFC South title in the future. With a few extra pieces, they will have visions of a Super Bowl title, too. With the Saints, Broncos and Chargers up next on the schedule, the Falcons are in prime opportunity to distance themselves from the rest of the NFC South — and maybe even the NFC as a whole.