Falcons Named 'Best Fit' for Standout Free Agent LB

An early favorite for the theme of the Atlanta Falcons' offseason is the return of familiar faces, headlined by head coach Raheem Morris opting for a reunion with newly hired defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

Morris and Ulbrich were together from 2015-20 in Atlanta. After Ulbrich left the Falcons, he spent 2021-24 with the New York Jets, where he worked alongside Mike Rutenberg -- now the Falcons' defensive pass game coordinator.

And that familiarity may result in the Falcons landing one of the top defensive free agents in Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood. According to ESPN, the Falcons are the "best fit" for Sherwood, who's ranked as the 37th-best free agent available.

"Sherwood could follow new Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich from New York to Atlanta," writes ESPN's Matt Bowen. "A three-down linebacker who is trending up at this stage of his career, Sherwood posted 154 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and three pass breakups with the Jets last season.

"He can play downhill with speed, cutting off the ball and pursuing the edges. The Falcons need playmakers on defense."

In 2024, Sherwood played in all 17 games with 16 starts and was on the field for 93% of defensive snaps. He tallied 158 tackles, including an NFL-high 98 solo tackles, along with 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

It was his first season as a starter, and it initially wasn't supposed to be. Sherwood entered the season as a backup to C.J. Mosley, who missed all but four games due to toe and neck injuries.

Given an opportunity for extended action, Sherwood, a converted safety, impressed Ulbrich with his athleticism, character and combination of size and length at 6'2'', 216 pounds with 34-inch arm. He also took on a leadership role en route to earning the Jets' Most Valuable Player award, as voted by his teammates.

And Ulbrich thinks the 25-year-old Sherwood will be a hot commodity this offseason.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a harder worker not only in this building, any building in the NFL," Ulbrich said. "I'm just so excited for the future now for him, because it's really planted seeds across the league as a guy everybody's going to want on their team, and he's going to get rewarded for it.

"He deserves every penny he's going to get."

Sherwood's relationship with Ulbrich and Rutenberg is obvious -- he played under both each of his four years in the NFL -- but their ties go deeper.

Rutenberg scouted Sherwood in college and believed in him enough to spark a position change. When Sherwood suffered a season-ending ankle injury as a rookie in 2021, Rutenberg told Sherwood how to rebrand his body -- while sticking by his side the whole time.

Sherwood has great appreciation for Rutenberg, as much off the field as on it.

"Every time I have a question for him, he never shies away, he's already ready to answer," Sherwood said. "I text him at 12 at night, he's going to respond. As a player, you always appreciate a coach like that because he cares about us and he wants us to do great and be successful on Sundays."

Sherwood's fit in Atlanta makes plenty of sense. He already knows the defense, which would be a valuable commodity for teammates in meeting rooms this summer, and he has a strong relationship with the Falcons' new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

The question comes down to price.

Atlanta currently has negative-$12 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap. The Falcons have a variety of ways to create more room, but they also have more pressing needs than another inside linebacker, be it pass rushers, two starting cornerbacks or a starting safety next to Jessie Bates III.

So, the reality of Sherwood signing with the Falcons may ultimately hinge on how much cap space they open -- but regardless, the chance for Ulbrich and Rutenberg to add a potential foundation to their first defense in Atlanta could prove too good to pass.