FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons acquired cornerback Jeff Okudah, who was the third player taken in the 2020 NFL draft by the Lions, on Tuesday.
The Falcons sent a fifth-round pick to the Lions.
Okudah, who played at Ohio State, has played in 25 NFL games and made 22 starts. He’s 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, has run the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds and has two career interceptions.
The Falcons have been working on revamping their secondary this offseason. They signed free-agent safety Jessie Bates to a four-year, $64.02 million contract.
Nickel back Isaiah Oliver signed with the 49ers in free agency, and the Falcons signed free-agent cornerback Mike Hughes, a former first-round draft pick by the Vikings.
“We have some young talent,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said about the secondary recently. “Some young hungry players. A lot of those guys had to play early. You look at some guys like Dee Alford. He played in the CFL, and he played a lot of snaps for us. ... You look at young players playing a lot of snaps throughout the defense, and that’s important. That’s valuable experience, and you can’t replace that experience with anything. Getting all of that experience at all positions, secondary is one of them. That’s why adding a guy like Jessie is going to help all of those guys grow.”
Okudah mostly has played right cornerback for the Lions.
Okudah wanted to play for the Falcons when he was coming out of Ohio State. After three seasons with the Lions, he’ll finally get his chance.
He was looking for a fresh start, according to his agent, Kevin Conner.
“(Lions general manager) Brad Holmes and Terry Fontenot made this move work out real smooth,” Conner said via phone after he left Flowery Branch.
Okudah will have a chance to start at right cornerback, where Cornell Armstrong finished last season as the starter.
Casey Hayward, who opened the 2022 season as the starting right cornerback, is trying to make it back from pectoral surgery.
The Lions had high hopes for Okudah when he was selected by the former regime in Detroit. He played in nine games and made six starts as a rookie in 2020. He missed the opening game with a hamstring injury and then suffered a shoulder injury in Week 11 loss to the Panthers.
In December 2020, he was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury.
In 2021, Okudah suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Week 1 loss to the 49ers and was lost for the rest of the season. Last season, he suffered a concussion late in the season before losing his job to Hughes.
Without much pass-rush help from the defensive front, the Falcons’ secondary didn’t hold up well in coverage in 2022.
Opponents passed for 231.9 yards per game, which ranked 25th in the NFL. The opposition averaged 7.03 yards per pass play, which ranked 29th, and converted on 45.91% of its third downs, which ranked 31st in the league.
One of the key factors was losing Hayward at right cornerback, who suffered a torn pectoral muscle after six games and was lost for the season after undergoing surgery.
Darren Hall, who was a fourth-round pick in in 2021, didn’t hold up at right cornerback, as the Falcons finished the season with Armstrong.
The Falcons are expected to pick up cornerback A.J. Terrell’s $12.3 million fifth-year option and likely will follow the same path as they did with guard Chris Lindstrom. The team picked up his option last offseason and followed that with a contract extension.
Okudah likely will have to play next season without his fifth-year option being picked. He plans to come in and compete for the starting spot.
“You always want to think a few years ahead,” Fontenot said. “When you are thinking about your plan and everything that you are doing, a few years away. That’s what we did last year with Chris and extended him the following offseason. With A.J., we just have to sit on it and determine how we are going to proceed. Love A.J. Love everything that he does.”
The Falcons also revamped their coaching staff in the secondary. Jon Hoke, who was the defensive back coach, was not retained.
Jerry Gray, a longtime defensive backs coach and former defensive coordinator, was hired as the assistant head coach/defense.
Also, former senior offensive assistant Steve Jackson was named the secondary coach. He’s also a long-time NFL secondary coach. He started out coaching safeties with the Bills in 2001.
“Having Jerry on the staff, he can help me,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said recently. “That’s why we gave him the assistant head coach title. Jerry can also help in the secondary. We have Steve back there.”
