Falcons agree to 5-year deal with DE Ray Edwards
FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons hope there is a new “Big Play Ray” in town.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end "Big Play" Ray Edwards has agreed to a five-year deal with the Falcons. Air Blank One is leaving at 6:01 p.m. to scoop him up and retun him to Flowery Branch. (Associated Press)
Defensive end Ray Edwards agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. The original “Big Play Ray” is former defensive back Ray Buchanan, who played with the Falcons from 1997 to 2003, and was on the franchise’s only Super Bowl team.
One of the team’s glaring deficiencies has been the pass rush. They are hoping that Edwards will help close the gap on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC. They hope he will balance the field and provide a pass rush opposite of Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham.
On a day when the team released defensive end/tackle Jamaal Anderson, the Falcons reached a deal with Edwards. The former Purdue standout has 29 sacks in five seasons. He had eight sacks last season and 8.5 in 2009.
The Falcons were interested in Edwards after the draft. But they later cooled on him and pursued Carolina’s Charles Johnson. The Falcons backed out when the Panthers made a lucrative offer to Johnson, the former Georgia standout from Hawkinsville.
Entering free agency, Mel Kiper Jr. had Johnson as the top-rated defensive end available and Edwards was rated second.
“Finished second on the Vikings with eight sacks, teaming with Jared Allen to form one of the top pass rushing tandem at DE in the league,” Kiper wrote in his 2011 Free Agency Data Sheet. “But it was an uneven year for Edwards as he managed just 1.5 sacks in their first seven games.”
Kroy Biermann started at left defensive end last season and had three sacks. The Falcons also have Chauncey Davis, Lawrence Sidbury, Cliff Matthews and Emmanuel Stephens on the roster.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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425 comments Add your comment
Get real guys
July 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
UGA 1999 said there would be an announcement around 1?? wow…. cause i heard the same thing on 790 the zone this morning…
garbagepickup
July 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
UGA 1999 stop acting like a vagina and go ahead and tell us.
J.J.M.
July 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
lol they blocking uga 1999 post from leaking info
RJ Voorhees
July 29th, 2011
2:58 pm
@UGA 1999, Dude if you are right about everything, then ESPN should replace Adam Schfeller for you
Ricky red
July 29th, 2011
2:59 pm
If your not a falcons fan you really don’t need to say anything
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
2:59 pm
get Real Guys. go back and read again….I told you it would be Ray Edwards.
DawgsnFalcons
July 29th, 2011
3:00 pm
UGA 1999 did say it would be Edwards at 1:00PM.
Birrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd Man
July 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
The Blank Bank money spent on Edwards should pay great dividends. I’m long the birds and never sell them short. TD had many options shoring up DE and WR positions; I think he made the right call.
Ino Tings
July 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
How do you like my new blog name? I used to be UGA 1999
Falconsrus
July 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
Thanks UGA 1999
Today is my birthday and just the chance we get AU is a good present .I went to Georgia southern but I love the Dawgs and Falcons GO Dawgs Falcons rise up TD is my hero
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
I am still here.
David
July 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
@UGA 1999…..well, if you said this morning that there would be an announcement at 1 and giving us Ray Edwards name then……what is stopping you from giving us more details on a deal that is reportedly already done??
Gwinnett Fred
July 29th, 2011
3:04 pm
For all those that bashed TD for drafting a punter, that was another big part of getting this done. The kid from Miami will certainly earn less than the $3.25 million Tampa is paying Koenen.
OH YE OF LITTLE FAITH!!!!!!!!
DawgsnFalcons
July 29th, 2011
3:04 pm
Schefter tweets that the Rams have signed Harvey Dahl to 4 yr deal. Good luck Harvey.
Micheal
July 29th, 2011
3:04 pm
UGA1999, I am not doubted you but just curious who is next, besides I know that Aso has a myserty team after him and Ray did get a lower contract then most ppl would know.
Falcon Fanatic
July 29th, 2011
3:05 pm
Mike Johnson will fill in fine
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
I keep getting blocked!
falconfever74
July 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
the only way i see us having any chance at asomugha is we trade duanta for a pick. to free up money
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
UGA 1999 , your first post was at 1:50 PM…
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
Jon…..go to the other thread….
Snelling Fan
July 29th, 2011
3:07 pm
1999 was on a different blog this morning.
olddawg
July 29th, 2011
3:07 pm
UGA1999 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Looks good in Red and Black sounds like Champ Bailey to me.
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:08 pm
gotcha
J.J.M.
July 29th, 2011
3:08 pm
they deleted his post
J.J.M.
July 29th, 2011
3:08 pm
good luck to harvey dahl
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
3:09 pm
Ok guys I am about to have to head out for the day. I will talk to you guys on Monday and check in to see if you like the deals we did.
Remember our goal is to constantly put a strong product on the field and bring a championship to the city of Atlanta.
Nativebird
July 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
Love it. Best move in years for this franchise, right behind Matt Ryan, Mike Smith, and Arthur Blank going back up to the owners box.
Kerryb
July 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
UGA 1999 on D Leds blog this morning at 9:52 you said that the deals were done with Ray Edwards and Asomugha. Are you still trying to say that?
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
I like the fact that Arthur Blank is good friends with Kraft… makes for friendly but serious competition between the two.
falconfever74
July 29th, 2011
3:13 pm
this is matt ryans year to become one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league we have all the players on offense
PMC
July 29th, 2011
3:16 pm
If he gets 8 or 10 sacks it will be a marked improvement over what we’ve trotted out on that side since Patrick Kerney.
Jamaal had 4.5 for his career. Biermann had 3 I think.
Yes sacks are overrated as a stat but 8-10 sacks with 25 pressures would be nice.
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:16 pm
If UGA 1999 picks off the trade for Asomugha, he’s the real deal. That said, all the papers are saying the Cowboys will outbid any other team for him…
PMC
July 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
Harvey goes from helping build this young team to helping build another. Good luck in St Louis Harvey Dahl and thank you!
Jordan
July 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
http://isportsweb.com/2011/07/29/ray-edwards-signs-with-falcons/
Kerryb
July 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
If Dahl is gone I won’t be that heart broken. I was kind of getting aggravated with his 15 yard penalties for hits when the play was over and stirring up fights.
Kerryb
July 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
Jon, Asomugha is a free agent. I guess he would have to weigh going to a train wreck that is Dallas or going to a SB contender here.
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:22 pm
I agree with you that the Falcons are a better team in general… but I think the Cowboys are better than what we have seen recently.
D. Bell
July 29th, 2011
3:22 pm
Someone said Dahl and Snelling had signed up with Rams. Can we get a link to where you see that?
Greg Moundine
July 29th, 2011
3:23 pm
Go get former Falcon Lawyer Milloy. He is a Veteran and we can get him for little or nothing.
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:24 pm
Wade Phillips’ mess will be cleaned up by Jason Garrett, and Jerry’s money, pretty darn quickly.
D'HALL STILL SUX
July 29th, 2011
3:24 pm
DLedbetter, is this just another maybe like Noel Devine, or is this the real deal. If so, probably a great pick. The guy’s a monster.
Will help with John Abraham and that guy from Arkansas that never materilaized to anything…
papason100
July 29th, 2011
3:26 pm
that guy from Arkansas that never materialized to anything… That Player is named Jamaal Anderson and he was released today
Caleb
July 29th, 2011
3:30 pm
Michael Lombardi reporting that Nnamdi is choosing beetween Jets and Cowboys
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:31 pm
Yeah.. I think UGA 1999 missed this one…
Falcon Fanatic
July 29th, 2011
3:32 pm
Link on Dahl to Rams:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/29/harvey-dahl-jumps-to-the-rams/
Rod from College Park
July 29th, 2011
3:33 pm
UGA 1999 for president. All of you non believers just check the old blog. He had the info before anyone had any clue that we would get Edwards. I’m riding with you UGA 1999.
blake
July 29th, 2011
3:34 pm
Is Nnamdi really that much better than Cromartie…… Im sure he will cost a lot more but i don’t know if the product on the field will really be any better.
Jon
July 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
Did UGA 1999 say specifically that the other one would be Asomugha?
hamp
July 29th, 2011
3:40 pm
what about grimes
Collin
July 29th, 2011
3:40 pm
He did say Asomugha, but honestly.. lets not get our hopes up on this. It would take a miracle, he would have to take a lot less money in order to play on a contender.