In yet another sign the Falcons are going to look outside the organization for a replacement for John Abraham, one of their young developmental players can’t wait to get out the door.
Former fourth-round pick Lawrence Sidbury, who has shown flashes of pass-rush ability, won’t be staying with the Falcons, according to his agent.
“No, it’s not a place you would stick around considering what took place the previous year in your fourth year,” agent Alan Herman told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “That would not be an option for us. That’s not something he would want to do.”
Sidbury had four sacks in 2011, and seemed poised to become part of the rotation, but never made an impact last year, playing in just nine games.
While he’s far from a household name, young players with any hint of skill at getting to quarterbacks aren’t allowed to freely leave often.
That tells you the coaching staff has some kind of problem with Sidbury, and that they don’t have much faith in the internal options for replacing Abraham, who was released last week. For a team that finally pushed through and won a playoff game this year, which hasn’t shied away from making bold moves, a run at a veteran pass-rusher should be expected.