One of the great bits of intrigue this offseason has to do with the Falcons’ free agent plans for the defensive line. No other position grouping on the roster besides linebacker figures to suffer as much attrition as this unit, which could lose Adrian Clayborn, Dontari Poe, Ahtyba Rubin, and Courtney Upshaw, and at linebacker more or less everyone is a reserve. Clayborn and Poe both received starter’s snaps in 2017, and Upshaw had a small but important role for this defense.
We’ve determined that we think Clayborn will be back and Poe will be out of the team’s range, price-wise, but one way or the other the Falcons seem unlikely to keep both players.