'He's Back': Atlanta Falcons CB Jeff Okudah Making Most of New Beginnings
Jeff Okudah lined up at left cornerback in the Atlanta Falcons' defensive formation and stared into the hips of Washington Commanders Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin.
Faced with a 3rd and 1 in the second quarter, Commanders quarterback Sam Howell was intent on going to McLaurin - and Okudah knew.
McLaurin jabbed right. Okudah matched, and succinctly put his hands on McLaurin's chest. When McLaurin broke back to the ball, Okudah did, too - and when McLaurin reached out his hands to make the catch, Okudah followed suit.
Howell's pass fell incomplete. Okudah celebrated as defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ran up to him. In that moment, Okudah was officially back.
"That was really impressive," Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. "The drive, the break ... That play stands out, it's like he was off, he drove, he had conviction. I saw that in practice, and you're like 'okay, now let's just keep progressing with that more during the game' ...
"But that play was like, 'Man, gosh, he's back quick.'"
Okudah's re-emergence has multiple layers to it, the first being his status as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft but hardly living up to expectations with the Detroit Lions.
Across three injury-plagued seasons, Okudah recorded 124 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defended while playing in 25 total games.
Acquired via trade for a fifth-round pick this spring, Okudah was thrust into the starting role in Atlanta's defense.
Much of the offseason talk surrounding him was that a change of scenery would prove beneficial, and he was en route to proving that during training camp when he was carted off Aug. 4 with a right foot injury. The Falcons firmly entered "hold your breath" territory for 24 hours.
This is where the other big layer of Okudah's emergence appears.
Any time the cart is brought out, minds immediately wander to season-ending injury status ... but Okudah dodged that bullet and instead was given a timeline to return early in the season.
That proved true, as the 24-year-old made his Falcons debut in Week 3 - back against the Lions at Ford Field. He played only 11 defensive snaps in Atlanta's 20-6 loss, but the focus was on getting his feet wet, a mission that was certainly accomplished.
The week after, Okudah drew the starting nod in London versus the Jacksonville Jaguars and saw his snaps increase to 49, which was nearly 75 percent of Atlanta's total defensive reps.
In the two games since, Okudah has played every single defensive snap, capping off a quick recovery and overcoming a lack of training camp and preseason action to become an integral part of the Falcons' ascending secondary.
"How quickly he's come back from that time off and he's seven weeks off and then all of a sudden he's out there, he's starting, he's making plays," Nielsen said. "He made a few plays, his confidence is growing, getting back—you know you have to play the game—the confidence and things like that (to) make them plays in practice."
Jeff Okudah has paired with A.J. Terrell to give the Atlanta Falcons a stout cornerback tandem.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
Nielsen added that Okudah has made plays in practice similar to the rep he had against McLaurin, but he continues to improve and had a strong Wednesday session leading up to this Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While Okudah's still in the early stages of his year, he's putting together not only his personal best professional season but one of the most impressive campaigns by a corner across the league.
Through four games, Okudah's been targeted nine times - and allowed only three completions for 51 yards and no touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. Quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 53.5 when throwing Okudah's direction.
Nielsen said Thursday he believes this is the best he's seen Okudah play. Atlanta's first-year defensive coordinator gave credit to assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray and secondary coach Steve Jackson for their knowledge of the game and teaching of fundamentals and technique.
There are constant talks between Okudah and the duo of Gray and Jackson, a testament to the former Ohio State star's work ethic and a key reason to why Nielsen feels he's taken his game to the next level.
"Jeff, he's a willing worker, he is always trying to get better with communication, he's early on the practice field, he stays late, he's always working to get better," Nielsen said. "That combination is really cool to see, and I think that's what you're seeing on the field."
Okudah's breakthrough comes in a contract year, and his future in Atlanta beyond this season remains uncertain.
But that's a problem for another day.
For now, the focus is on Okudah's re-emergence; be it his struggles in Detroit or near-disaster injury early in his first training camp with the Falcons, adversity isn't new ... and when looking at his entire body of high school and college accolades, neither is success.
With his career in need of direction, Okudah's move to Atlanta gave him a chance at a fresh start to rebuild his narrative - and by all accounts, he appears poised to cash in next spring.
