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Courtney Upshaw was somewhat of an afterthought signing for the Falcons last offseason, and for the first half of the season, he didn’t do a heck of a lot. As we noted earlier this offseason, though, that changed in the second half of the year.
Upshaw wound up getting a lot more snaps at defensive tackle and defensive end once Adrian Clayborn and Derrick Shelby went down, and he played well in their absences. He primarily offered solid run defense but also got genuine pressure, especially during a strong playoff run that saw him harry Russell Wilson, get after Aaron Rodgers, and sack Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Given that production and his positional versatility, he figured to be a guy the Falcons would be interested in re-signing, and he’s suggesting that much with his latest Instagram post.
With Shelby and Clayborn likely returning to health, Upshaw’s likely to get a lot more snaps at defensive tackle in the year ahead, especially if the Falcons let Jonathan Babineaux walk and choose to cut ties with Tyson Jackson. He should be a useful piece of the rotation, either way.
We’ll cover this in more detail when (if?) it becomes official, but for now, we’ll say we hope Upshaw’s back.