Report: Falcons closing in on 3-year extension with DT Tyeler Davison

It’s always nice when Atlanta takes a quality player away from the Saints, and last year the Falcons managed to do just that when they scooped up Tyeler Davison in free agency. Besides Grady Jarrett, he was the team’s most reliable inside presence, and a fine run stopper all year long.

Now Davison appears to be close to signing an extension with the Falcons after that quality 2019 run, per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, one that could keep him in Atlanta for the next three seasons if all goes well.

Entering his age 28 season in 2020, Davison is coming off a campaign where he played all 16 games, started 12, and made 55 tackles with 1 sack, 4 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. While he can get after the quarterback—he had 4 total pressures last year—it’s not really his primary area of focus, as he consistently grades out as a very good run stopper on the interior. That’s likely the role Atlanta envisions for him again in 2020 and beyond.

With Davison and Steven Means returning to join solid run defenders like Jarrett, Takk McKinley, Steven Means, and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, the Falcons can focus most of their resources on the pass rush in free agency and the draft when it comes to the defensive line, which is probably a smart play. I’d be thrilled to see Davison back after he was one of the team’s more consistent, reliable defensive linemen in 2019, and it sounds like he will be soon enough.