'Brick By Brick': Falcons LB Lorenzo Carter Emerging as Defensive Leader

The Atlanta Falcons have had an incredibly busy offseason, completely retooling the quarterback room, wide receiver corps and the pass rush through the draft.

However, one of the moves that went under-the-radar was the signing of former New York Giants linebacker Lorenzo Carter.

Carter, a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, spent the first four years of his career with the Giants before returning to his hometown Falcons in free agency.

Carter started 14 games with the Giants last season, recording five sacks. Had he been on the Falcons last year, he would've led the team in that statistic. As a team last year, the Falcons managed just 18 sacks as a team, a number they are looking to change in 2022.

Carter is seen as a major piece to help retool the defense and he's taking it upon himself to be one of those main pieces.

“Right now, we’re looking to over-communicate and make sure everyone’s on the same page,” Carter told AtlantaFalcons.com. “Even if one person’s wrong, if we’re on the same page it’s alright. That’s we’re doing right now, building it brick by brick.”

The team has done more than just sign Carter to address the pass rush. On Day 2 of the NFL Draft this past April, the Falcons double-dipped on pass rushers, selecting Arnold Ebiketie from Penn State in the second round and DeAngelo Malone from Western Kentucky in the third.

“The fact we have a lot of new guys doesn’t mean much,” Carter said. “The expectation is high for all of us. There aren’t too many of us who can play at (an NFL) level. Coach (Dean Pees) makes sure we’re held to a high level and we hold each other to that standard. We’re going to keep pushing each other to get better. We’re gonna hold each other up.”

The Falcons have until September to keep building the defense brick by brick before the New Orleans Saints try to knock it down.