The Atlanta Falcons made news on Tuesday as the team reinstated a former top-40 draft pick.
According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, Atlanta reinstated former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman from the reserve/retired list. Goodman starred at Florida State before the Bears selected him with the 39th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
The #Falcons have reinstated DT Eddie Goldman from the reserve/retired list. He's back after announcing his retirement last year.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 21, 2023
Goldman spent six seasons with the Bears (2015-21) and integrated himself as one of the better defensive tackles in the league. Prior to the start of his fourth season in the NFL, Goldman signed a four-year, $42 million contract ($25 million guaranteed) with the Bears and was graded by Pro Football Focus as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the league.
After being named a Pro Bowl alternate a season later, Goldman opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned the following season and was unable to reach his prior form, as he received an overall grade of 39.8 from PFF — the worst of his career.
The Bears parted ways with Goldman following that career-worst. He later signed with Atlanta in the summer of 2022, though he elected to retire just 13 days later.
Now that he’s back with the Falcons, we’ll have to see if he’s able to regain his pre-pandemic form when he was a household name in the NFL. In any event, it’s worth a gamble for an Atlanta team that desperately needs help on its defensive line.
[Mike Garafolo on Twitter, Bleacher Report, Pro Football Focus]
