Report: Atlanta Falcons signing former Cowboys DT Terrell McClain

We knew the Atlanta Falcons were going to add a defensive tackle after bringing in only Deadrin Senat to replace multiple losses at tackle, headlined by Dontari Poe. Former Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins lineman Terrell McClain was cut lose after the draft, and quickly became one of the hottest names available.

Per Jordan Schultz, Atlanta won the sweepstakes for McClain.

McClain signed a four-year, $21 million deal with Washington, where he played more 3-4. It didn’t work out well, and the team prioritized replacing him during the draft. They succeeded, and cut McClain loose. He previously visited with Dallas, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Miami Dolphins, but oddly went unsigned at all his prior visits.

What does this mean for the Falcons? Atlanta gets a nice veteran presence next to Grady Jarrett, but Dan Quinn will definitely run a pretty good rotation. He will probably need to beat Jack Crawford in camp to start. No word on his contract numbers, but we expect him to be paid accordingly, hopefully a little above vet minimum considering the team’s cap situation. The interior rotation is definitely set with Jarrett, McClain, Senat, and Jack Crawford. McClain is a nice pickup this late in the offseason, and definitely has something to prove after playing out of position with Washington.

Update: we have his numbers, and they were definitely higher than I hoped.

As mentioned, McClain took multiple visits. There could be a number of reasons why he didn’t sign elsewhere, but it is usually money. Atlanta must have sweetened the pot just enough to get him signed. Not a bad deal, but it suggests he should be penciled in as a starter. As long as I’m guessing, the numbers are probably from McClain’s agent. We probably won’t get the specifics until tomorrow, as the “over $4 million” could include a number of incentives.