The Lions announced today they will not use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, meaning Suh will become a free agent if they can’t reach a deal with him within the next week. It's almost certain that Suh will test what will be a robust market for his services.
Setting aside the money (admittedly no easy task for a team that lacks depth because of personnel blunders) Suh would seem to be a perfect fit for new Falcons coach Dan Quinn. OK, Suh would be a good fit for any defense but the Falcons actually have the cap space to sign him (about $33 million after the recent purge) and I'm thinking Quinn would embrace the attitude Suh would bring to his defense.
Quinn often uses the “fast and physical” mantra to describe his defensive philosophy. He says he wants to feature his best players. Like his former boss in Seattle, Pete Carroll, Quinn talks about celebrating the uniqueness of players, which for the Seahawks meant letting oddball running back Marshawn Lynch be himself.
Suh is fast, physical, and dominant—he's been named first-team All-Pro in four of his five seasons and Pro Football Focus ranks him as the No. 2 free agent. Suh might be the prototype "three technique" tackle in Quinn's defense, as described by Carroll: "The 3 technique player should be your premier interior pass rusher. He is going to get a lot of one on one blocks as it is hard to double team him because of where he lines up."
Suh has earned the reputation of being a dirty player and has been docked for more than $400,00 in pay for various on-field transgressions. But Suh’s edginess would seem to be a positive for a coach who celebrates uniqueness and physicality.
The Falcons desperately need an injection of defensive talent and there aren’t many players better than Suh. Owner Arthur Blank desperately needs to convince fans to shell out for personal seat licenses in his new stadium and signing perhaps the best free agent on the market certainly would make a splash.
The issue with Suh is, of course, the money.
Suh figures to demand a contract similar to Bucs tackle Gerald McCoy, who signed an extension in October that includes $51.5 million in guarantees. McCoy will eat up about $15 million in cap space for the Bucs in 2015 and about $13 million in each of the remaining six years of the deal.
The Falcons gave Matt Ryan $59 million guaranteed in 2013 and he’s set to count about $20 million against the cap this year and even more over the next three seasons. But Ryan is a quarterback; shelling out similar money for a defensive tackle, even one as good as Suh, would be a bold move.
Quinn has a direct line to Blank so if he wants Suh it won’t be hard to make his case to the boss.
