Atlanta Falcons solve near decade-long problem with acquisition of 4x Pro Bowler

Whether or not the rest of the league and media believe it, the Atlanta Falcons have their sights set on a return to the postseason.

Perhaps nothing proved that more than Wednesday night, when Atlanta sent a third-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Matt Judon.

With the move, the Falcons can finally put a decade-long history of misses at the position behind them:

Falcons Beat Out Others For Judon

The Falcons raised a ton of eyebrows when they drafted Michael Penix Jr. just weeks after signing Kirk Cousins to a multi-year contract, with many questioning the move given the other needs on the roster, yet how accessible the playoffs are in the NFC South.

And to be fair, Atlanta did address the pass rusher position in the third round of April's draft via Bralen Trice, but he was lost to season-ending I.R. following his preseason debut.

So acutely, Judon solves that issue and maybe even upgrades the position.

But pass rusher has been a chronic problem for the Falcons for years now. The team thought they found something in Vic Beasley, who was a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler, recording 15.5 sacks in his second season in the league at only 24 years old in 2016.

That turned out to be a flash in the pan, and Atlanta was back to square one with  Takkarist McKinley in 2017. McKinley never showed the potential that a player like Beasley did however, as his best season saw seven recorded sacks he and was off the team before his rookie deal was up.

Recent years saw the Falcons miss on free agents and be stuck in limbo with other late-round picks at the position. And while Judon will need a new deal and turns 32 on Thursday, he's in Atlanta for a good time, not a long time, and that's exactly what the Falcons are looking for.