Falcons DL 'Has a Shot' to Help Pass Rush, Says Coach Arthur Smith
The Atlanta Falcons ranked last in the NFL in sacks a year ago, posting a mere 18.
Now, what if I told you that a potential solution to that problem was on the roster last season and isn't named Grady Jarrett?
While Atlanta's star defensive tackle will certainly play a big part in improving the pass rush, coach Arthur Smith believes he might have another option.
“Somebody needs to step up,” Smith said. “Nick Thurman has a shot. We’ve got to get some more interior pass rush.”
Thurman, 27, signed to Atlanta's practice squad in October and later joined the team's active roster, but played in just one game, a Week 17 contest against the Buffalo Bills. In 17 snaps, he registered one tackle and a quarterback hit.
Still, that's all the Falcons saw of Thurman in a live-game setting. However, his NFL career extends beyond the depths of his time in Atlanta.
After going undrafted out of the University of Houston in 2018, Thurman stayed local, signing with the Houston Texans. He stuck with the team through the entire preseason before being waived in final cuts and didn't sign with another team until joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2019 offseason.
The Bucs waived Thurman less than a month later, but the New England Patriots quickly scooped him up. There, he spent the entirety of the 2019 season and parts of 2020 on the practice, finally making his regular season debut against the Seattle Seahawks.
Playing largely in a reserve role on defense with occasional snaps on special teams, Thurman appeared in seven games with one start and posted 10 total tackles, including one for loss. After bouncing around between being cut, placed on the practice squad and playing in games in New England, the Patriots waived Thurman with an injury settlement prior to the start of the 2021 season.
All of the twists and turns of Thurman's NFL journey led him to the Falcons, where he has a chance to play in key role in taking Atlanta's lowly pass rush to another level.
Thurman has scratched and clawed for every opportunity, despite being undrafted and out of football less than a year after his college career ended. Perhaps now more than ever before, he's staring down his best chance yet.
