There haven’t been too many bright spots for the Falcons this season, but the play of defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux has been near the top of the list.
Babineaux has been very strong against the run all year, leading the team in tackles for losses, and added to his highlight reel with a pair of fumble recoveries against the Redskins in last Sunday’s victory. That earned him praise from coach Mike Smith, but the question as we head toward the offseason is whether it will earn him a new contract with the team.
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports there’s no progress on that front and Babineaux would like that to change.
“I definitely want to finish my career here in Atlanta,” Babineaux said. “I started here. I’ve been through the good times, the bad times. And I definitely want to finish here. So, we’ll have a lot of time for that in the offseason -- for them and me to decide on something. Hopefully, I’ll be able to continue my career here.”
The Falcons figure to shake things up a bit after such a disappointing season and Babineaux is a free agent at the same time as fellow defensive tackles Corey Peters and Peria Jerry. Babineaux has played more snaps than either of the others and Jerry has been underwhelming, but both players are younger than Babineaux and the Falcons may find their resources stretched too thin to keep everyone they want.