Falcons Sign Paul Soliai: Grading the Move and What It Means for Atlanta

March 12, 2014   ·   Knox Bardeen   ·   Jump to comments

It’s no secret that the Atlanta Falcons entered free agency on March 11 in dire need of help along the offensive and defensive lines. The team signed three linemen within the first few hours of the league’s new calendar year, but for multiple reasons, no signing was bigger (see what I did there?) than defensive tackle Paul Soliai, a 6’4”, 340-pound behemoth of a lane-clogger who spent the last seven seasons playing for the Miami Dolphins.
Soliai started 15 games last season and registered 34 tackles and one sack. More importantly, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Soliai scored a plus-11.1 overall rating with a plus-7.9 score at stopping the run.
The Falcons ranked 31st against the run last year and allowed 4.8 yards per rushing attempt and 135.8 yards per game on the ground. Shoring up the run defense was a huge need, and Soliai will definitely help. And that may be why he got paid like he did.
Soliai’s $33 milli...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - NFL
Article is property of BleacherReport.com