NEWSLETTER
On Tuesday morning, the Atlanta Falcons continued their offseason roster overhaul, acquiring Jeff Okudah from the Detroit Lions. Okudah’s agent Kevin Connor confirmed the trade to ESPN’s Field Yates. The Falcons are giving up a fifth round pick for Okudah according to NFL Network inside Tom Pelissero.
Detroit drafted Okudah third overall in 2020, but Okudah struggled with injuries his first couple of seasons. He missed the first game of his rookie season with a hamstring injury. He was put on injured reserve later that season after undergoing surgery to fix a core muscle injury. Okudah ruptured his Achilles in the 2021 season opener against San Francisco and missed the rest of the season.
Okudah had his first healthy season in 2022 playing in 15 games for Detroit. He had 73 tackles, seven passes defended and an interception. The trade offers him a fresh start in Atlanta. The Falcons have a star at one cornerback in AJ Terrell, but the other spot is up for grabs. Casey Hayward is under contract for another year, but he’ll be 34 in September and isn’t a long-term option. Okudah has one year left on his contract with a team option for 2024.
Adding Okudah brings in another piece to a revamped Falcons defense. They signed Jessie Bates to a big deal to shore up the secondary. They also added David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss from the Saints in an effort to bolster their pass rush. It’s still safe to presume the Falcons are likely to draft a defensive lineman with the eighth overall pick in the draft.
Detroit was also active in free agency trying to fix a porous defense. They added safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from Philadelphia. They also added cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Mosley. Still, it’s reasonable to think the Lions will address the cornerback position with the sixth overall pick. Mosley has struggled with injuries throughout his career and they just traded a starter. Barring a surprise ahead of them, Detroit should have their pick of whichever top cornerback prospect they like, Christian Gonzalez or Devon Witherspoon.
