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The Atlanta Falcons have had an abysmal pass rush for the past three seasons. They ranked 32nd in sacks and 28th in pass rush win rate in 2021, 31st in sacks and 26th in pass rush win rate in 2022, and 21st in sacks and 32nd in pass rush win rate in 2023.

EDGE has been a position of need for a long time. Raheem Morris underlined the importance of adding pass rushers every year to the roster.

“I think it’s definitely a priority for us, especially considering our history,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said at the Annual League Meeting last month. “I think you want to go out and add pass rushers every single year. I don’t know, as long as I’m the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, that I’ll ever sit here and say I don’t want to add one of those guys. I think you have to continuously add those guys every year, when you’re talking about affecting the quarterback.”

The Atlanta Falcons drafted an EDGE rusher on Day 2.

Trice committed to the Huskies as a three-star recruit for the 2019 season. He would have a solid career with the team, playing 40 games and starting 29. He had 101 tackles, 28.5 TFLs, 18 sacks, and one forced fumble.

Trice played 15 games and started 15 in 2023, with 49 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, seven sacks, one forced fumble, 80 pressures, 53 hurries, 19 hits, and an 88.1 PFF Grade. He also had a 90.8 pass-rush grade, a 72.1 run-defense grade, a 17.6 % pass-rush win rate, and a 6.3% run-stop win rate per PFF. The Pac-12 named him to their All-Pac-12 First Team, and the Associated Press named him to their All-American Third Team.

Trice will compete against Carter for the starting spot, as Arnold Ebiketie likely holds onto the other starting spot.

Carter played 17 games and started one in 2023, with 35 tackles, six TFLs, three sacks, 21 pressures, 12 hurries, six hits, and a 67.0 PFF Grade.

Some of you may not even remember who Tommy DeVito is.

He’s the New York Giants’ backup quarterback who grabbed headlines for a few weeks last season with his play as an undrafted rookie. His Italian background and chef kiss celebration became a thing until the New Orleans Saints ended all the type.

You might not remember Tyson Bagent either. He’s the other undrafted rookie the Saints faced last season. Bagent began training camp as the Chicago Bears’ third string quarterback, but was the starter by the time the Saints played the Bears because of an injury to Justin Fields.

Ok, here’s an easier one that you’re more likely to remember.

What about Joshua Dobbs, nicknamed the “Passtronaut” because of his background in aerospace engineering as well as his time as backup quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings?

Yeah, those were the not-so-household names playing quarterback by the time their respective teams rolled onto the New Orleans’ Saints schedule in 2023.

A schedule that looked easy when it was released last year all of a sudden became even easier. (Well, except Dobbs ended up dazzling in the first half and leading the Vikings to victory).

Prescott, some may have forgot, finished second in the MVP voting last season behind winner Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.

Hurts finished second in MVP voting the season before that and is looking to bounce back from a so-so 2023 campaign.

Cousins, who the Falcons acquired this offseason, was in the MVP conversation last season before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 8. The Saints will have to face him twice now that he’s in the NFC South.

And what more really needs to be said about Mahomes, who has two MVP trophies and three Super Bowl MVP trophies in his man cave. Slowing him down will be the toughest of them all, especially on a Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

That’s not even including the two guys in Los Angeles: Justin Herbert of the Chargers and Matthew Stafford of the Rams. It was Stafford who helped the Rams torch the Saints for 458 yards (328 in the air) last season.