FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Matthew Judon told Raheem Morris what he could expect when the veteran pass rusher arrived in Atlanta. The conversation took place last week during a FaceTime call after the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots had begun trade talks involving Judon.
“Judon is telling you exactly what he’s going to bring you, that dog mentality, and he didn’t use ‘dog.’ He used a different word, but I loved it,” said Morris, Atlanta’s first-year head coach. “I’m like, ‘Yes, bring him.’”
Judon arrived for his first Falcons practice Monday along with veteran safety Justin Simmons, whom the team signed to a free-agency deal Thursday, one day after completing the trade for Judon. Judon wore his traditional red-sleeved hoodie under his practice jersey and even got a handful of the snaps with the starters.
After that first practice, he told the media a sanitized version of what he told Morris.
“I’m not going to set a goal, but I’m just going to go out there and play with reckless abandon,” he said. “That’s the mission. The mission is just go and destroy everything out there.”
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The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Judon is entering his ninth year in the league, has 66 1/2 career sacks, four Pro Bowl appearances and immediately becomes the Falcons’ most proven pass rusher. He joined the team for its trip to Baltimore on Saturday for a preseason game but didn’t play.
“It was good for him to come,” Morris said. “He showed up with a duffle bag, and he was ready to roll. You got a chance to see his personality come out. He stole my seat on Bus 1.”
That was an accident, Judon promised. The veteran simply took the first seat he saw after getting off the plane to Baltimore so he could get to the hotel quicker.
“There were two seats there, we could both sit, but he’s got it from now on,” Judon said. “He’s the head man in charge, and I don’t want to ruffle any feathers. I didn’t know he sat there.”
The seat snafu has been the only speed bump so far for the Falcons and Judon. During their FaceTime conversation, Morris wanted to make sure the player would be happy playing in Atlanta even if he didn’t receive a new contract during the season.
“We didn’t want to have some of those unfortunate situations other teams have,” the coach said.
Smile, @man_dammn is here! pic.twitter.com/NLaj4oKTFM
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 19, 2024
Judon is playing on the final year of his contract and voiced his frustration in New England about not receiving a new deal. It’s part of the reason the Patriots traded him, but Judon doesn’t expect the Falcons to give him any guarantees.
“The Atlanta Falcons know nothing about me as a football player, as a man,” he said. “I can’t really demand or ask for anything that I haven’t worked for. That’s the way I’ve been my whole life. I’m going to work for it, man.”
Judon, who had a combined 28 sacks in 2021 and 2022, missed 13 games last season because of a torn bicep but showed up in Atlanta at full strength. The Falcons plan to keep him out of most of the 11-on-11 reps in practice until he learns the defensive system, but Morris doesn’t think either of his new players will take long to figure things out.
“You’re talking about two experienced vets who have experience with similar defenses if not the same calls,” Morris said. “Real intellectual, smart football players who are able to pick up on whatever you need them to do to get ready.”
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Judon and Simmons don’t need to be fully integrated into the practice rotation until game week to be ready for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Morris said.
Third-year Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie helped talk Judon through portions of practice while they watched plays from the sideline Monday.
“We’re all out there tired, but he wants to get me acclimated, he wants to help me, that’s how you know you’ve got good teammates and are building a good locker room,” Judon said. “You see how Rah interacts with the players and how we relate to each other. You see that the locker room is stable.”
Judon’s pending arrival in Atlanta is what convinced Simmons to join that locker room, Simmons said after practice Monday.
“We were already in talks so when the Judon thing happened, I pretty much called my agent and said, ‘We’ve got to get this done,’” the safety said. “I’m super excited to be here. We were patient for a reason, and I’m so thankful to the Lord for opening this door for us because this is where we wanted to be. This is what we were waiting for, an opportunity like this, and I can’t wait for this thing to get rolling.”
Justin Simmons INT! The @Broncos defense has back-to-back takeaways.
📺: #DENvsBUF on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/J3bHxYOoK2 pic.twitter.com/DVJEeLJAYI— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2023
Simmons spent eight years in Denver before being released at the end of last season. He has been named second-team All-Pro four times and has 30 career interceptions, but he said he was not surprised by the Broncos’ decision and has no hard feelings toward the team.
He was wooed to Atlanta during a Monday night dinner at Chops in the Buckhead district that included Morris, general manager Terry Fontenot, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, cornerback A.J. Terrell and safety Jessie Bates III.
“I could see the appreciation of what’s in front of them and what can be and how hungry they are to chase after that,” Simmons said. “I didn’t want to go to a spot where they just know they are going to walk into the playoffs. These guys here are hungry.”
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Deep into the conversation that night, Simmons asked his future teammates, “How much do you want it? How important is it to you?”
“Grady set the tone from there and said this was pretty much the most important thing to him right now,” Simmons said.
The Falcons will proceed slowly with Simmons because he hasn’t practiced since last season. He participated in one-on-one drills but no team work Monday. After practice, he said he feels as strong and fast as he ever has but appreciated the Falcons being patient with him. Like Judon, Simmons will be playing on a one-year deal. (He’ll make $7.5 million.) And, like Judon, he’s not worried about the future at the moment.
“I know it’s a one-year thing at least for now, but you’re going to get my best for this year and I’m all in like I was a rookie coming in for four years,” he said. “I’m all in because I can tell the guys here are all in so it’s easy to buy into the culture.”
Adding two accomplished veterans has increased Morris’ confidence in his team.
“You’re talking about how many Pro Bowls they have between them. You’re talking about grown men who bring real, true value,” Morris said. “It creates a buzz. It creates an excitement. It creates those things that coaches all want and players all want. It’s a mentality that I love to be a part of.”
However, it does not increase the coach’s expectations, he said. Those already were maxed out.
“I knew that when I got here, when I got the job,” Morris said. Team owner “Arthur Blank made it clear what he wants, and that hasn’t changed.”
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(Photo of Matthew Judon: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today)
