[News] Courtney Upshaw Signs With Atlanta Falcons

[BR News]

The outside linebacker moved on to Atlanta after spending the last four years in Baltimore.

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[Minionhunter]

Comp pick, comp pick, comp pick!

[b93333]

As far as anyone can tell the Ravens made no effort to retain this guy... really unclear to me why the FO doesn't consider him to be a valuable part of the defense. Setting the edge is worth something... as is giving Doom a breather on running situations. Maybe I'm missing something, but lack of effort is curious.

[purpledown]

If nothing else the Falcons are getting a good guy against the run. In like most of the Ravens defectors, entering the prime of his career,.

[fusuymada]

As far as anyone can tell the Ravens made no effort to retain this guy... really unclear to me why the FO doesn't consider him to be a valuable part of the defense. Setting the edge is worth something... as is giving Doom a breather on running situations. Maybe I'm missing something, but lack of effort is curious.

I have to agree. He was referred to numerous times in the media, in particular this site, as a comp pick, nothing more, nothing less. (See comment below). Little or nothing was said or written on the skills he brings. That said, Bisciotti clearly fell in love with the pass rush after our Super Bowl win and most notably this last one with Denver. In his comments, he clearly is convinced that the offset to the new high powered offense is to not give the qb enough time to set up and throw mid to long passes. That requires guys who get sacks and that, unfortunately, is not Upshaw. The NFL has become a curious animal. You have allegiance to your team, which requires falling in love with players. Now for the team and the players the "business side" is easy to understand ($$$$) but fans dont really get that when they like the players they support and its up to the team to keep the fans happy but they are not when fan favorites get cut because of the business side. And at the end all those things don't necessarily jive so it becomes frustrating for fans because the team is tied to business side decisions and that won't ever change.

[hen826957]

Man l wanted the Ravens to resigned this guy. Great teammate, great guy, solid player. I actually saw him in person at Towson Mall one time great times. They should've at least contact him they completely ignore him. Very underrated player. ?

[law215]

Another second round pick out the door, but I think Ravens will be fine. I don't think Ravens really wanted/expected Upshaw back. I don't know the terms Falcons offered, but time will tell if Ravens regret giving 35 yr old Watson a contract with 2 TEs already on the team (3 if you include Waller moving to TE) and not retaining Upshaw . The strategy seems to be to get better at the pass rush and faster in coverage which is not his strengths. Dumervil was weak against the run and Upshaw weak against the pass. I hope we can get a guy to do both.

[stixfix69]

He got a 1 year contract...

[TheConquerorWorm]

Comp pick, comp pick, comp pick!

It depends on the contract amount but I assume it's at least $1 million - the "secret" minimum salary to qualify for the comp pick formula.

[bigcatfrank1]

  1 hour ago, b93333 said:

As far as anyone can tell the Ravens made no effort to retain this guy... really unclear to me why the FO doesn't consider him to be a valuable part of the defense. Setting the edge is worth something... as is giving Doom a breather on running situations. Maybe I'm missing something, but lack of effort is curious.

I have to agree. He was referred to numerous times in the media, in particular this site, as a comp pick, nothing more, nothing less. (See comment below). Little or nothing was said or written on the skills he brings. That said, Bisciotti clearly fell in love with the pass rush after our Super Bowl win and most notably this last one with Denver. In his comments, he clearly is convinced that the offset to the new high powered offense is to not give the qb enough time to set up and throw mid to long passes. That requires guys who get sacks and that, unfortunately, is not Upshaw. The NFL has become a curious animal. You have allegiance to your team, which requires falling in love with players. Now for the team and the players the "business side" is easy to understand ($$$$) but fans dont really get that when they like the players they support and its up to the team to keep the fans happy but they are not when fan favorites get cut because of the business side. And at the end all those things don't necessarily jive so it becomes frustrating for fans because the team is tied to business side decisions and that won't ever change.

Media and Team communications are two different things. Because of NFL rules. agreements often force the players and teams into this situation where not much can be said between the player and the team during negotiations. Agents also play a part in silence, cat and mouse games which can sometimes make it difficult for a home team to really get their point across. In this case, the Ravens had a price in mind but could not offer until FA was over. Thats the rules.

[TheConquerorWorm]

As far as anyone can tell the Ravens made no effort to retain this guy... really unclear to me why the FO doesn't consider him to be a valuable part of the defense. Setting the edge is worth something... as is giving Doom a breather on running situations. Maybe I'm missing something, but lack of effort is curious.

OLB that stop the run are a dime a dozen = easy to replace (especially with a mid-late draft pick). OLB that rush the passer - now that's a little more difficult. I do think that Upshaw's pass rushing skills are a little underrated (ask Big Ben) - he just wasn't asked to rush the passer that much. It's a skill that you have to work on everyday.

But many deals are done behind the scenes - you can't assume no effort was made. And maybe in some corners, some where hoping that he would sign elsewhere so that we get the 3rd or 4th Round pick for KO.

[mearzunkies]

  2 hours ago, b93333 said:

As far as anyone can tell the Ravens made no effort to retain this guy... really unclear to me why the FO doesn't consider him to be a valuable part of the defense. Setting the edge is worth something... as is giving Doom a breather on running situations. Maybe I'm missing something, but lack of effort is curious.

OLB that stop the run are a dime a dozen = easy to replace (especially with a mid-late draft pick). OLB that rush the passer - now that's a little more difficult. I do think that Upshaw's pass rushing skills are a little underrated (ask Big Ben) - he just wasn't asked to rush the passer that much. It's a skill that you have to work on everyday.

But many deals are done behind the scenes - you can't assume no effort was made. And maybe in some corners, some where hoping that he would sign elsewhere so that we get the 3rd or 4th Round pick for KO.

A very realistic post. Happy Easter EV1!

[towens2921]

Upshaw was never more than solid on the edge. He was never more than Jarrett Johnson and was usually less. Considering how highly he was picked, he should have been more, but at least he wasn't a bust. When I look at guys like Brandon Williams, who was considered a "project" and got better and better all the time (still getting better), it makes me wonder why Upshaw hit his ceiling. We can find a guy who can do what he did in the 5th-7th round. You want impact players in the first 2 rounds. Upshaw wasn't that.

[omar586]

good, now find his replacement in draft or UDFAs.

[omar586]

they should give more reps to McClellan, that guy can ball

[ellicottraven]

I'm glad Upshaw found a home. I really don't believe Ozzie was holding his breath to sign Upshaw. So, good luck Upshaw and thanks for letting us have at least 1 Comp pick next year.

[sticks999]

Courtney was a solid player, but not irreplaceable. I suspect the team felt the same as to the way they handled him in free agency.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

As far as anyone can tell the Ravens made no effort to retain this guy... really unclear to me why the FO doesn't consider him to be a valuable part of the defense. Setting the edge is worth something... as is giving Doom a breather on running situations. Maybe I'm missing something, but lack of effort is curious.

Not curious at all and here are several reasons why:

He was a 2nd round pick that never lived up to the level of being drafted that high. He isn't a complete player. He simply wasn't that good. He can't rush the passer and he can't cover anyone. He's a one trick pony and we needed to move on and replace him. If Suggs and Dumervil are healthy he would still be a rotational player. I think Za'Darius Smith could step in and give us the same production.

Addition by subtraction.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

Man l wanted the Ravens to resigned this guy. Great teammate, great guy, solid player. I actually saw him in person at Towson Mall one time great times. They should've at least contact him they completely ignore him. Very underrated player. ?

There is a difference between underrated and just not that good. The latter applies to Upshaw.

[NNITRED]

They thought there was no market for him and he'd come crawling back for pennies. He wasn't a QB killer. That Doom's job. Upshaw was the run stuffer , edge setter, and he did both well. That's why Doom and Upshaw were swapped in and out. He wasn't a complete LB but what he brought is not easily replaced. in addition to Upshaw we don't have veteran presence at MLB. We have have some work to do.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

They thought there was no market for him and he'd come crawling back for pennies. He wasn't a QB killer. That Doom's job. Upshaw was the run stuffer , edge setter, and he did both well. That's why Doom and Upshaw were swapped in and out. He wasn't a complete LB but what he brought is not easily replaced. in addition to Upshaw we don't have veteran presence at MLB. We have have some work to do.

Actually he was worse than average at what he did best. PFF rated him 89th overall as an edge player and 20th against the run. Maybe that will help some fans put things in perspective. He just wasn't that good, certainly not playing like a 2nd round pick should.

I am pretty sure we can slide Za'Darius Smith in his spot who has almost the same type of build as Upshaw, sign a veteran back up, or draft somebody in the 3rd or 4th round that can rank 20th in the league against the run if they get enough snaps. If he was not easy to replace the Ravens would not have let him walk. You'd think the team would have actually spoken to him. Did you read Harbaugh's comments about him? He essentially said he hasn't had talks with him and didn't even know where he was. Yeah, that's a ringing endorsement. He certainly knows where Trent Richardson is though.

As for veteran MLB spots, there really isn't much out there on the market right now. Lots of 30 somethings or close to it that are past it and are too slow or never really had it. We'll be paying close attention to roster cuts I am sure, but I am also certain we're addressing the issue in the draft.

[hen826957]

@EdTgeMythicalOne My Goodness!!!!! You act like Uphaw hasn't done anything to help the team out since he been a raven. Rating on the PFF doesn't mean he wasn't a good player. People need to stop using PFF as rating a player because it's very irrelevant. Upshaw was a good player here and you act like he trash. Ozzie didn't want to sign him and that's fine. Hope Z Smith is ready for that role or our run defense gonna struggle leave it at that.

[billiejean]

1 hour ago, hen826957 said:

@EdTgeMythicalOne My Goodness!!!!! You act like Uphaw hasn't done anything to help the team out since he been a raven. Rating on the PFF doesn't mean he wasn't a good player. People need to stop using PFF as rating a player because it's very irrelevant. Upshaw was a good player here and you act like he trash. Ozzie didn't want to sign him and that's fine. Hope Z Smith is ready for that role or our run defense gonna struggle leave it at that.

PFF is actually a really reliable and proven way to assess a player. There is a lot of data that goes into those numbers. Its not irrelevant at all.   Courtney's issue was that he never did a whole lot of work in the offseason.  He has shown up overweight to training camp multiple times.  I think if he really worked on it and dropped ten pounds he could have been a decent pass rusher. In my opinion his best year was his rookie season. 

Edited March 26, 2016 by billiejean

[Fastynart]

Best news of the day. Upshaw was just another early pick (Alabama of course) waste made by Newsome. He never lived up to his billing, was one dimensional, and often was out of position. Atlanta? Really? That is his step up in the world? Good luck with that.

[jravens1313]

Best news of the day. Upshaw was just another early pick (Alabama of course) waste made by Newsome. He never lived up to his billing, was one dimensional, and often was out of position. Atlanta? Really? That is his step up in the world? Good luck with that.

Are you happy or bitter? It is hard to decipher based on your comment. While he fits our physical style of play, the liability in coverage, and lack of generating a pass rush made him expendable.

[BigUgly]

Wow, he left (or was allowed to leave) for just a 1-yr deal?  Won't be much of a comp pick there.  He wasn't a dynamic pass rusher, but he did set the edge dependably and was rarely hurt.

There's been a worrying trend during the Harbaugh era of draft picks not working out or sticking around past their rookie deals.  As a result, the team has gotten older at key positions as they backfill with veterans.  I sure a player like Dwight Freeney may be on his way to Baltimore to add depth behind Upshaw.  In a way, he'd be the anti-Upshaw; older and one-dimensional in favor of the pass rush vice the run.

[Drinkmore Beer]

Ya think the Ravens are interested in Bosa? Ya think?

[The Greek]

run defense was superb but he was a one trick pony. no pass rush and a liability in coverage. will miss him but not worth the $$. the fo has a plan for this draft. i believe they are going to move brooks and/or perry to lb on passing downs to help with coverage and disguised blitzes if pees is creative enough

Edited March 26, 2016 by The Greek

[RavensDieHard21]

The best of luck Upshaw!

[PalmBayRaven]

Will always Love the hit on Big Ben!