The Falcons are wasting no time in making their emphasis on toughness clear.
The Falcons have already announced deals with defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai, after the day’s earlier deal with guard Jon Asamoah.
“We were focused on adding pieces along our offensive and defensive lines and I feel we were able to accomplish that today,” General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a release.
In adding Jackson and Soliai, it makes it look like they’re also more intent on using more 3-4 looks under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, as Jackson is a classic 3-4 end and Soliai a stout player against the run who can play the nose.
They also tapped into new assistant G.M. Scott Pioli’s background, as Pioli used the third overall pick in the 2009 Draft on Jackson when he was with the Chiefs.
Those are significant moves for a defense that look soft last season, and now have some hefty parts on which to build.