Falcons Insider Breaks Down What Jaguars Are Getting in LB Foyesade Oluokun

Few teams made as much noise in free agency's first wave as the Jacksonville Jaguars. While other teams were wheeling and dealing in terms of making blockbuster trades, the Jaguars spent big on the free agency market and brought in seven new starters, with six of them on multi-year deals.

But what will each new player bring to the Jaguars' roster in 2022 and beyond? To find the answers, we go through FanNation's deep pool of talented insiders and reporters from across the NFL to get the skinny on each new Jaguar.

Next up, former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, who the Jaguars signed to a three-year deal worth between $45 million to $46.5 million that carries a guarantee of $28 million at signing.

Oluokun's most productive year came this past season, with the former sixth-round pick starting all 17 games and recording 192 tackles, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, three interceptions, two sacks, and six pass deflections.

To help give us an idea of what Oluokun is going to bring to the table as the Jaguars' new starting middle linebacker, we talked to Falcon Report's Cole Thompson to get the skinny on the former Yale product and why he landed in Jacksonville.

1. Why didn't Foyesade Oluokun re-sign with the Falcons? Was there any interest?

Thompson: Atlanta was in the market to retain him, but the asking price was far too high. Keep in mind that fellow linebacker Deion Jones remains under contract at $20 million, the fourth-highest on the team this season. Cutting him before June 1 wouldn't have helped since Atlanta would take a $24 million cap hit in dead money. Atlanta looked for a trade partner, but never found a suitor, thus forcing Oluokun to walk.

2. What does Foyesade Oluokun do best?

Thompson: He's a wrap-up tackler. People are going to focus on the 2021 season because he led the NFL with 192 stops, but it's more than that. Oluokun consistently was able to read and react to the offensive line, thus putting him in a position to make a play. He's also quite strong for a player that is considered undersized to play the middle. His open-field speed also is quite underrated and should allow him to work both linebacker positions in Mike Caldwell's defense

3. What are some of Foyesade Oluokun's weaknesses?

Thompson: People often focus on the tackles made. For every tackle made, there’s one he likely missed. This isn’t to say that he can’t be a triple-digit tackler, but Oluokun will miss some plays. He also is limited in coverage to anyone but a running back. Zone schemes are where he works best, but man can be tricky if asked to guard the tight end.

4. Is Foyesade Oluokun someone who the Falcons will struggle to replace?

Thompson: To an extent, yes. Keep in mind that Oluokun broke out even more than 2020 thanks to a new defensive look with former Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees. The 3-4 system allows one linebacker to play in space and the other play the run. The Falcons still have Jones, who has declined the last two seasons, but still tallied over 130 tackles. I expect Atlanta to be in the market for a linebacker in the draft, but the team has other needs where drafting a Devin Lloyd or Nakobe Dean at No.8 is likely off the table.

5. Was Foyesade Oluokun a smart addition for the Jaguars?

Thompson Yes and no, to be honest. While Jacksonville definitely needs to upgrade its middle of the defense due to the addition of Caldwell, there’s questions about GM Trent Baalke’s spending. Why release Myles Jack— a solid linebacker who is only 26 — just to add Oluokun? More specifically, this is a very good linebacker class, meaning Jacksonville could have added a younger name with more upside, and it likely would have cost them a year or Oluokun‘s salary for four years. It’s not a bad move, but it’s one that could be horrendous if the production doesn’t match after one year.