Pat Yasinskas, ESPN Staff Writer 11y

Falcons may need more than Umenyiora

There are lots of reports out there that the Atlanta Falcons are close to signing defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

But nothing official has come yet. Even if it does, the Falcons might be wise to continue looking for help for the pass rush.

In theory, Umenyiora would take the place of John Abraham as the team’s pass-rusher. Umenyiora, 31, is a slightly younger version of Abraham. Umenyiora had just six sacks for the New York Giants last season, but he’s had several seasons of double-digit sacks scattered throughout his career.

The Falcons apparently think Umenyiora still can produce double-digit sacks. But even if he signs with Atlanta and puts up more than 10 sacks, the Falcons still need more of a pass rush. Kroy Biermann, the other starter, is a versatile defensive end, but not the kind of guy who's going to put up 10 sacks. Backups Jonathan Massaquoi and Cliff Matthews are projects.

Assuming the Falcons sign Umenyiora, they still need to get pressure from somewhere else and it wouldn’t hurt to get a guy who can be a long-term answer. The way to do that is the draft.

Even if the Falcons sign Umenyiora, they still should consider taking a defensive end in the first round. Defensive ends like Bjoern Werner, Sam Montgomery and Margus Hunt could be available when Atlanta picks at No. 30 and the Falcons might be wise to get one of them.

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