David

Onyemata

The 33-year-old veteran will miss at least the next four games. He came over from the Falcons this offseason and had played 48 snaps in New York’s first two games.

The spirit of the 2021 Saints is alive in New York. Onyemata, entering his age-34 season, will help shore up the run defense for the Jets. Onyemata had a 78.2 PFF defensive grade last year and figures to start up front for the Jets as they try to keep Aaron Glenn gainfully employed.

The deal clears up roughly $4.9 million in cap space for Atlanta and is largely a procedural move. Teams can almost always perform a simple restructure whenever they see fit. Onyemata spent the first seven years of his career with the Saints before joining Atlanta in free agency last year. He totaled four sacks and six TFLs in his first season away from The Big Easy.

Emili just finished the season with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas. Emili bullied UFL offensive linemen as a three-down player, leading UFL defensive tackles with 14 run-defense stops while ranking sixth in pass-rush win rate (9.8%) and second in pass-rush productivity (6.8) among UFL defensive tackles with at least 100 run-defense and pass rushing snaps, respectively. His Brahmas squad produced a 7-3 regular season record, eventually losing the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL’s championship game. Emili has a chance to compete for the No. 3 defensive tackle role behind Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata.

Head coach Arthur Smith said the team will make a decision on Terrell on Saturday after having a chance to speak with medical professionals. Terrell being upgraded to a full participant is good for his Week 14 outlook, but if he doesn’t clear concussion protocol, he won’t play. While Terrell’s status remains wait-and-see, the Falcons have already ruled out LB Nate Landman (knee), RT Kaleb McGary (knee), DL David Onyemata (ankle), and DE LaCale London (knee) for Sunday’s contest against the Buccaneers.

The Falcons will heavily miss Onyemata on the DL, but they will get back Drake London who missed Week 9 with a groin injury. Taylor Heinicke will get his second straight start as he tries to spark a Falcons’ offense that seems like it gets usage out of its best players.

Onyemata got in a pair of limited practices to close the week but remains a game-time call. The veteran tackle has 3.5 sacks and five TFLs in nine appearances this season. Losing him for Week 10 would be a notable win for Kyler Murray in his first game of the 2023 season.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Onyemata will pull down $24 million guaranteed. The 30-year-old had mentioned as one of the market’s quietly more sought after names. A Saint since 2016, Onyemata typically stones the run while offering strong pass-rushing heat from the interior. It’s probably an overpay, but the Falcons are overflowing with cap space.

New Orleans’ long march toward cap space continues. Onyemata is scheduled to be a free agent in 2023, so this move likely sent bonus money into dummy years, almost ensuring the Saints will be doing this same dance with someone else next March.

“Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is determined to land Watson and is prepared to make aggressive, roster-shaking moves to pull this off,” Wilson writes. A source predicted to Wilson that OT Ryan Ramczyk, DE Marcus Davenport, DT David Onyemata, and C Erik McCoy are potential add-ons along with the reported Texans asking price of three first-round picks. The Panthers have been the most aggressive team on Watson for some time now, but the Saints appear to be another strong entrant into the ring.