Defensive leaps happen more easily and often than the other side of the ball in the NFL. The addition of the right player or two could be exactly what a defense needs to function at a high level. The Falcons, Rams, Patriots, Seahawks and Colts all significantly improved on defense with key contributions from free agents. Here are the top five most impactful defensive free-agent additions so far this season.
Divine Deablo, LB, Falcons
Deablo played receiver at Virginia Tech before switching to safety. He made the switch to linebacker in the NFL and it took him some time to get acclimated to the position, but the flashes were there in his four seasons for the Raiders. It was understandable why the Raiders let him leave in free agency with a new regime coming in, but the Falcons caught lightning in a bottle and signed Deablo right as he was peaking.
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has fully utilized Diablo’s toolbox as a player who runs side-to-side, covers and blitzes. The Falcons lead the league in blitz rate. According to TruMedia, Deablo has rushed 26 times in six games with a pressure rate of 23.1 percent. He had some lapses in coverage as a Raider, but they’ve been few and far between as a Falcon and he’s helped to strengthen the spine of the defense.
“It’s nice when you don’t have to dive down on dig routes,” safety Jessie Bates said in a story by The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. “He’s always in that window, so I can trust he’s going to be there. It also helps the corners to know they have some insulation in that window.”
Week 6 vs. the Bills, 6:26 remaining in the first quarter, first-and-10
Here, the Falcons were playing quarters to the receiver, tight end side against the Bills. Deablo was lined up to the passing strength.
Safety Xavier Watts and corner Mike Hughes were working in tandem to cover receiver Joshua Palmer and tight end Dawson Knox. Watts signaled to Hughes to switch to Knox running an out-breaking route, but Hughes stayed on Palmer, so Knox ran open because Hughes didn’t get the communication.
Deablo bit on the play-action fake but was able to sprint back and get underneath Knox. This is what Bates meant when he said Deablo provided some “insulation” into underneath passing windows.
Deablo read Knox’s eyes and got his hands up in time to knock the pass away with his back turned to the quarterback.
Early in the season, Bates got burned driving down on a dig and allowed Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka to get behind him on a deep post for a touchdown. Since the first game, the Falcons have only given up six completions of over 20 yards (third fewest in the league in that time span).
The Falcons are the No. 1 defense in DVOA, For The Numbers’ efficiency metric that accounts for strength of schedule. Deablo, whom they signed to a two-year, $14 million deal, is one of their most important defenders.
Poona Ford, DT, Rams
Ford anchored the Chargers’ run defense last season. His ability to eat blocks and make plays against the run was crucial for a team that wanted to utilize light boxes. He’s doing the same thing for the Rams this season.
L.A. had one of the league’s best pass rushes last season, consisting of young players such as Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, but finished 26th in defensive DVOA because you have to earn the right to rush the passer by stopping the run on early downs. The Rams ranked 23rd in defensive rushing success rate.
Enter Ford, who has helped to transform this run defense. He ranks fourth in EPSN’s run block win rate among interior defensive linemen and the Rams rank 13th in defensive rushing success rate. Their improvement against the run has led to more chances to rush the passer. Through six games, they rank fourth in third-and-7+ chances (44). They have jumped up to fifth in defensive DVOA.
Week 6 vs. the Ravens, 10:35 remaining in the first quarter, first-and-10
On this play against the Ravens, Ford was lined up in 2i (inside shade of the guard). The Ravens had an outside zone called with a double team on Ford from left guard Andrew Vorhees and center Tyler Linderbaum.
Ford fired off the ball and used pristine technique to fight the double by first attacking Vorhees, pushing him off his path, and turning his shoulders to Linderbaum.
As Vorhees climbed to the second level, Ford easily beat Linderbaum and made a tackle on Derrick Henry at the line of scrimmage.
Milton Williams, DT, Patriots
Williams certainly wasn’t cheap. He was the prize of this year’s free-agent class, signing a four-year, $105 million deal. He was part of a huge free-agent haul for the Patriots that included linebacker Robert Spillane, cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive end Harold Landry — all of whom have performed well.
Williams was the riskiest because of his large contract, but also because he is coming off one breakout season. Like many big-name free-agent signings, that breakout season could prove to be a flash in the pan, but so far, Williams has looked the part.
He ranks fourth in pass rush win rate (16 percent) among defensive tackles. He’s also been doubled 69 times in six games, so he’s creating opportunities for his teammates. With Christian Barmore next to Williams, the Patriots have one of the most talented defensive tackle duos in the league.
After a slow start, the Patriots defense has trended upward in the last few games with the return of corner Christian Gonzalez. As their offense continues to improve, they’ll create more passing situations for Barmore and Williams to rush the passer.
DeMarcus Lawrence, Edge, Seahawks
Though Micah Parsons gets all the headlines as the pass rusher to leave Dallas, Lawrence also left the Cowboys. He signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Seahawks and looks like a revitalized player.
Seattle’s defensive line was already very good and got even better with the emergence of defensive tackle Byron Murphy, last year’s first-round pick, but Lawrence gives the team a dominating force on the edge against the run and the pass.
Many may think of head coach Michael Macdonald as an aggressive blitzer, but Seattle ranks 30th in blitz rate. Macdonald does use a lot of simulated pressures (four-man rush with one or more defenders coming from the second or third level) to confuse pass protection schemes, but he rarely rushes more than four defenders. Lawrence has bolstered the Seahawks’ four-man rush.
In the games that Lawrence has played (he left early in Week 4 and didn’t play in Week 5), the Seahawks rank eighth in pressure rate (38.3 percent) when rushing four. In Weeks 4 and 5, without Lawrence, the Seahawks ranked 29th in pressure rate (24.4 percent) when rushing four. While dealing with significant injuries to their secondary, the Seahawks rank fourth in defensive DVOA. If they can get healthy, they can be the best defense in the league.
Charvarius Ward, CB, Colts
There are several holes in the Colts defense and they will certainly miss Ward as he deals with a concussion suffered in pregame warmups after colliding with a teammate. Ward was an elite corner for the Chiefs and 49ers before dealing with a family tragedy that derailed him. With a change of scenery in Indianapolis, Ward looks like his old self.
He’s a physical press corner in man coverage, he’s twitchy and instinctive in zone and he’s one of the best tacklers at his position. His ability to tackle has certainly been valuable to a defense that has to blitz.
Week 1 vs. the Dolphins, 5:55 remaining in the third quarter, second-and-7
On this play against the Dolphins, Ward was lined up opposite Tyreek Hill, who would run a shallow route toward Ward’s side.
The Colts were playing a cover 2 zone to that side. Ward rerouted the receiver to his side inside, but had his eyes inside to look for another receiver running into his zone.
The ball was thrown to Hill and Ward was in a one-on-one tackling situation with one of the fastest players in the league in the open field.
Ward didn’t give up an inch and easily tackled Hill.
Ward can shut down one side of the field, but unfortunately for the Colts, there’s another side. They made a desperate free-agent signing with Xavien Howard, who retired after a rough start to the season. The Colts missed Ward against the Cardinals. Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns without his top receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., for most of the game. The Colts need Ward back soon in the worst way.
