The Falcons were expected to be paying a lot of attention to their defense this offseason and their early moves in free agency have offered plenty of support for that notion.
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports that the team will have defensive end Adrian Clayborn in for a meeting on Wednesday. They’ve also visited with Derrick Morgan and kicked off free agency by signing linebackers Brooks Reed and Justin Durant.
Clayborn was a 2011 first-round pick in Tampa, but the Buccaneers opted not to pick up their option on his contract for the 2015 season. They made that call based on Clayborn’s first three seasons, which turned out to be pretty much all that teams have to go off on film because a torn biceps kept him out of 15 games last season.
Clayborn also tore his ACL in 2012, limiting him to three games, and he has 13 sacks in 32 starts during the two seasons that he was able to avoid serious injury. The Falcons could use all the pass rush help they can find and Clayborn should come on the cheaper side thanks to his injury history.