The Atlanta Falcons‘ pass-rush issues have been well documented over the last few weeks, losing James Pearce Jr. to an eight-game suspension shortly after Jalon Walker suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The team addressed this hole on Tuesday, signing Za’Darius Smith to a one-year, $6 million contract.
Smith, a three-time Pro Bowler, was arguably Atlanta’s best available option to replace Pearce this season. The 33-year-old has recorded 70.5 career sacks and 176 QB hits over 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
The veteran edge rusher could reportedly earn up to $8 million through incentives this season, but the Falcons still have roughly $30 million in cap space available. So now that the deal is official, let’s take a look at how those around the NFL reacted to Atlanta signing Smith.
NFL world reacts to Falcons signing Za’Darius Smith
The Falcons will give Smith his first test this week when they hold two joint practices against the Indianapolis Colts. Since we project Smith to start this season, we wouldn’t expect him to play in Saturday’s preseason matchup in Indy.
