Falcons 'Proposal': Sign 'Space-Eater' Free Agent DT Danny Shelton

The run defense would get a needed upgrade. And by paying Shelton a little bit of money, Jarrett is more likely to earn his.

Should the Atlanta Falcons sign some Grady Jarrett help ... in the form of a well-traveled Super Bowl winner?

The Falcons already prioritized paying Jarrett, with his lucrative $51 million contract extension. Now comes the idea that they should prioritize a way to free Jarrett, and it's Falcons staff insider Scott Bair who wonders if Danny Shelton could be an answer.

Atlanta defensive coordinator Dean Pees would surely like to see Jarrett put up bigger numbers in terms of attacking the QB. A 6-2, 345-pound space-eater next to him could accomplish that.

Shelton, 28, has established himself to be all of that.

He was the 12th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, so he has some pedigree. On the downside, he enters a seventh season with the likelihood of playing for his fifth team.

But Shelton at his peak? He was a member of the Patriots when they stuffed the Rams in Super Bowl LIII - yes, the Pats who are coached by Bill Belichick, under whom Pees once worked in New England.

A successful player in the Patriots defensive system can easily translate to being a successful player in the Falcons system, of course. So Atlanta signs Shelton on the cheap, plops him down opposite the other teams' centers, and Pees can shuffle Jarrett into positions in which he is more likely to succeed.

The run defense would get a needed upgrade. And by paying Shelton a little bit of money, Jarrett (at $16.5 mil APY) is more likely to earn his.