Atlanta Falcons 2020 preview: Steven Means

Steven Means is ready to redeem himself.

The third-year Atlanta Falcons defensive end enters 2020 coming back from an Achilles injury that kept him out the entirety of the 2019 season. He suffered the non-contact injury in a May 2019 OTA practice. The injury happened three months after signing a one-year, $895,000 extension.

In 2018, Means racked up 14 tackles, seven solo, three tackles for a loss, one quarterback hit and a sack in eight games played and four starts.

In his sole season on the field with the Falcons, the team used him as an inside rusher off the line.

What impressed me most about Steven Means' performance was how he showed off his versatility. Didn't expect him to be used as an interior rusher. Quinn gives him a chance and look at him shine. Shades of Adrian Clayborn with the burst and violent club. pic.twitter.com/GtATQVajd7
— Allen Strk (@allenstrk) December 20, 2018

Means' expected role is a backup d-lineman who runs on the field to give some of the starters a rest. The franchise bringing him back after missing last season shows how much it liked what it saw in the 2018 year.

Steven Means with the stab/club/rip. Gets the blocker to sit on the stab while @MeansBusiness56 keeps his feet active & getting vertical. Reduces his hitting surface & finishes with the club/rip. Great move! #passrush pic.twitter.com/buE75g98q4
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) April 29, 2020

The Buffalo, New York native signed with Atlanta after being waived by the Philadelphia Eagles in September 2018. He won a championship with Philadelphia in 2017.

In 14 games with the Eagles, the 29-year-old totalled six tackles, five solo, two tackles for a loss, two sacks and two quarterback hits.

Means is one of the more active players on the roster in terms of social justice. He is a member of the team's social justice committee.

ATL ➡️ CLT

Courtesy of our player-led Social Justice Committee, Boys & Girls Club youth and police officers were able to make the trip for today’s game. 🏈#InBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/jPwWljGwDA
— Falcons In The Community (@FalconsCR) November 17, 2019

After George Floyd's death, he penned a letter on racial injustice. With the Eagles in 2016, Means protested the national anthem by standing and throwing his fist in the air as the song played.

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