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I think the Falcons should think about getting Peter Boulware, just recently cut by the Ravens. Boulware played DE at Florida State, but has spent his entire NFL career at linebacker.

He missed all of last season with various injuries, but reportedly he's close to being 100%. The Ravens cut him because they wanted to give Adalius Thomas a shot and also they drafted Dan Cody.

Boulware has 67.5 sacks in 7 seasons in the NFL. He's 30. He would be a short-term fix, a guy that I would hope the Falcons could sign to a one-year contract and be a 3rd down pass rusher. I really have little faith in how much Chauncey Davis will contribute this year.

I think getting a quality #3 DE will again be a priority this summer, just as it was last summer. Last year, the Falcons went the cheap route and brought in guys like Junior Glymph, Kevin Emanuel, and Khaleed Vaughn. I really hope the Falcons can find a veteran player that can bring similar speed to the roster.

I doubt Boulware lands in Atlanta, but I think the Falcons should look at pass rushers like Boulware. This area is such a concern for me, I think the Falcons should be willing to trade a 7th round pick for a player. One guy I like is Kansas City's Gary Stills. He has quick edge speed and is buried on KC's depth chart. I'm sure they'd be willing to accept a conditional 7th round pick on behalf of a guy that has played less and less in recent seasons.

I looked up Stills, and I think I must be missing something. He doesn't really seem like the caliber of player that we need for a pass rushing DE. He seems to be the body type, but his entire career has very little to show for it.

I would love to see Boulware in ATL. He would have a very good impact as a backup DE. He could work into a rotation with Kerney and Smith, and they would see very good production because of the additional rest. However, I don't see there being enough cap room to accomedate him. We have also been discussing the possibility of getting Schulters too. It's a toss-up, but I'd have to go with Schulters to help bolster the S position which is in more need of talent. If Schulters cannot be signed, then by all means get Boulware!

Yeah, it would basically come down to who would accept the lower contract, and I think it would be easier to get Schulters since we could pretty much give him a starting job, while Boulware will likely only be used as a situational player.

As for Stills, he's been buried on KC's depth chart, and although his production is not superbly high, it's about on par with most situational pass rushers around the league. Most guys will only get between 2-5 sacks per season in that role, and Stills has had 2.5, 3, and 2 sacks in the past 3 seasons.

He's a better player than his stats show. He has a very quick first step and runs well and can pursue the football. He reminds me of a lesser version of Chike Okeafor, who initially didn't have great numbers as a role player in San Fran. Of course Okeafor was still young at that point, and Stills will be 31 at the start of this season, but he's a player that I think can get the job done.

But Stills may be cut anyway this summer. The Chiefs added Carlos Hall this off-season, and they want to get Jimmy Wilkerson more into the rotation. Plus they drafted Khari Long, so Stills may be the odd man out since he has a relatively high salary and his age. So the Falcons may be able to get him for free.

Other options I like are Miami's David Bowens or Denver's Anton Palepoi. Both are quick edge rushers, a bit younger than Stills. Bowens has a high salary here in the last year of his contract ($1.9 million base) compared to Palepoi's $656K and Stills' $800K, but he's an accomplished player that had 7 sacks last season as a starter for the Dolphins in the wake of the loss of Ogunleye. With the shift to the 3-4 and his high salary, he will likely be a guy the Dolphins are willing to part with. Palepoi has good size (6-3/283), but is a quick edge pass rusher that is also buried on Denver's depth chart. Besides a healthy Courtney Brown, he's probably Denver's quickest edge pass rusher, but considering they have a wealth of veterans are planning to employ some 3-4 this year, he's not a great fit in that scheme. Again, both these players could find themselves on the waiver wire come August, when they could be had for free, but that's several months from now, and several months they could be learning our scheme and system. Again, all 3 I believe could be had for a 7th round pick, could contribute right away on this team and in the case of Palepoi could be a strong consideration to take over for Brady Smith in a year.

One thing about the falcon's history when a name player who was successful comes on the market they usually do not sign the player.Teams like
Washington,Philly,Tampa get these type of players.Boulware could really boost the sack production if he is healthy plus he is a player that can perform at a high level in playoff competition.Remember the Philly game last year the falcon front four was not getting pressure on mcnabb.I hope the falcon's realize that if the philly linemen play up to there ability the falcon 4 will have problems because they are getting outsized and do not have the speed to get around these big linemen.Remember the chiefs game the falcon defense got shredded.Drafting the guy from florida state really won't help much this year.Boulware is a player that could be a difference maker.Adding Hartwell and the boulware would reallly give an attitude to the defense.But as mentioned before the falcon's don't usually go after players that could put them over the top.I remember when kearse signed with philly I was thinking if he gets back to old form it will be trouble for the other teams and sure enough Kearse was a nightmare to handle!

I don't know what it would take to get Boulware but Mckay should look into it if the falcon's are serious about overtaking philly this year.Every difference maker counts and if you remember not alot went right in the philly game.