NFL Free Agency Rumors 2016: Courtney Upshaw Joins Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are starting to look dangerous this season, at least at the defensive side. After convincing former Miami Dolphins defensive end Derrick Shelby to join them and resigning Adrian Clayborn in the offseason, the team added another defensive player in former Ravens linebacker Adrian Clayborn. The team announced the signing on Friday.
The 26-year old free agent first visited several teams before agreeing to a contract with the Falcons. NFL.com said that he also drew interest from the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers, although it wasn't clear if he had an actual visit with those teams. The same report also said that he had a visit with the New York Jets last week.
In Baltimore, the second round pick (35th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft appeared in 64 regular season games while starting in 51 of them. He also owns four appearances in the postseason for the Ravens.
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The former Alabama star is likely to be filling in the role of strong side linebacker, according to ESPN. The Falcons expect him to compete with the ineffective Brooks Reed. Interestingly though, Upshaw's arrival in Atlanta is pretty similar to what Reed's last year, when the team signed him as a free agent in the hope of finding someone who could provide that much needed physicality.
The team knows for a fact that he's not someone who can provide that many sacks because he's just not built for it. Instead, his size and power will be used for other purposes. At this point, it's too early to tell if the Falcons eventually decide to part ways with Reed. It won't make sense if they decide for it now because Upshaw, though already a four-year veteran, is still relatively an untested newcomer for the team. It remains to be seen how things will work out with the two in this rejigged Falcons defensive squad.
