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Matthew Judon

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Matthew Judon (born August 15, 1992) is an American professional football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Grand Valley State, where he set the Division II record for sacks,[1] and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He also played for the New England Patriots.

Matthew Judon
refer to caption
Judon with the Ravens in 2018
No. 15 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1992-08-15) August 15, 1992 (age 32)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:West Bloomfield (MI)
College:Grand Valley State (2010–2015)
NFL draft:2016 / round: 5 / pick: 146
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:369
Sacks:66.5
Forced fumbles:9
Fumble recoveries:4
Pass deflections:14
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Judon received an invitation to the East–West Shrine Game, but was unable to play after an arthroscopy discovered what was characterized as a "tweaked meniscus". He was one of sixty-five defensive linemen to receive an invitation to the NFL combine and the first player from Grand Valley State to receive an invite in two years and opted to attend. Judon showed athleticism and strength, finishing top among defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (fifth), bench press (fifth), and vertical jump (fourth).[2] On March 15, 2016, he participated at Grand Valley State's pro day, along with four other teammates.[3] Team representatives and scouts from 26 NFL teams attended his pro day as Judon ran positional drills and opted to stand on his combine numbers. He had an impressive workout and raised his draft stock, receiving much praise from scouts who attended.[4] Throughout the pre-draft process, Judon had private workouts and meetings with the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles . At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, he was projected to be a fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.[5] Although he showed a great combination of strength and athleticism, his fourth round grade was mainly due to teams being skeptical over his ability to transfer his skills to the professional game since he played Division II football in college and concerns over his history of injuries.[6] He was ranked as the 14th best defensive end prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.[7]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m) 		275 lb
(125 kg) 		33+7⁄8 in
(0.86 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.73 s 1.65 s 2.75 s 4.52 s 7.67 s 35 in
(0.89 m)		 9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)		 30 reps
All values from NFL Combine[8]

Baltimore Ravens

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The Baltimore Ravens selected Judon in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft.[9] He was the third edge rusher the Ravens drafted in 2016, behind Boise State's Kamalei Correa (second round, 42nd overall) and BYU's Bronson Kaufusi (third round, 70th overall).[10]

2016

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On May 5, 2016, the Ravens signed Judon to a four-year, $2.59 million contract with a signing bonus of $255,736.[11]

The Baltimore Ravens opted to make Judon an outside linebacker since their 3–4 scheme would better suit him at that position over defensive end. He competed with Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Albert McClellan, Za'Darius Smith, Kamalei Correa, Chris Carter, and Victor Ochi throughout training camp for a job as a starting outside linebacker.[12] Head coach John Harbaugh named him the backup weakside linebacker behind veterans Terrell Suggs and Za'Darius Smith to begin the regular season.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Ravens' season-opener against the Buffalo Bills and assisted on one tackle in their 13–7 victory.[13] Judon was inactive for Weeks 4–5 despite playing well in the first three games as the Ravens decided to play Elvis Dumervil who had recovered from his foot injury.[14] On October 23, 2016, Judon recorded three combined tackles and made two sacks on New York Jets quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith in their 24–16 loss.[15] His first career sack on Geno Smith in the second quarter caused Smith to tear his ACL and miss the remainder of the season.[16] During a Week 14 matchup at the Patriots, Judon recorded a season-high five combined tackles in their 30–23 loss.[17] He finished the 2016 season with 27 combined tackles (12 solo), four sacks, and two pass deflections in 14 games and zero starts.[18] Judon played minimally due to a lot of depth at the position and the Ravens staff wanting to develop.[citation needed]

2017

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Judon in 2020

He competed with Albert McClellan, Terrell Suggs, Za'Darius Smith, Tyus Bowser, Boseko Lokombo, and Tim Williams throughout training camp for the vacant starting outside linebacker job left by the departure of Elvis Dumervil in free agency.[19] On August 26, 2017, he recorded four solo tackles and sacked Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor in their 13–9 victory. Judon was named the Baltimore Ravens' starting strongside linebacker, beating out rookie Tyus Bowser, to begin the 2017 season.[20]

Judon made his first career start in the Ravens' season-opener at the Cincinnati Bengals and made one solo tackle and defended a pass in the Ravens' 20–0 victory.[21] During a Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, Judon recovered a fumble by quarterback DeShone Kizer, that help set up the Ravens' offense on an eventual touchdown scoring drive in the 24–10 victory.[22] On October 15, 2017, Judon recorded a career-high 14 combined tackles (12 solo) and sacked Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky twice in their 27–24 loss.[23] On November 19, 2017, he collected seven combined tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble during the Ravens' 23–0 win against the Green Bay Packers, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[24][25] He finished the season playing in all 16 games with 12 starts, recording 60 combined tackles (50 solo), eight sacks, three passes defensed and two forced fumbles.[26] His eight sacks finished second on the team behind Terrell Suggs' 11 sacks.[27]

2018

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In Week 12 against the Raiders, Judon had three sacks in the 34–17 victory.[28] In the 2018 season, Judon played in 16 games with eight starts, finishing tied for second on the team with seven sacks, along with 44 combined tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.[29]

2019

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In week 11 against the Houston Texans, Judon recorded a team high 7 tackles and 2 sacks on Deshaun Watson, one of which was a strip sack on that was recovered by teammate Jaylon Ferguson, in the 41–7 win.[30] In week 14 against the Bills, Judon sacked Josh Allen 1.5 times, including a strip sack which was recovered by Jihad Ward during the 24–17 win which clinched a playoff berth.[31] In week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Judon recorded a strip sack on Devlin Hodges which was recovered by teammate Michael Pierce during the 28–10 win.[32] In the 2019 season, Judon started in all 16 games. He finished with 9.5 sacks, 54 total tackles (43 solo), and four forced fumbles.[33]

2020

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The Ravens placed the franchise tag on Judon on March 13, 2020.[34] On May 28, 2020, Judon signed the one-year, $16.808 million franchise tender.[35] In Week 4 against the Washington Football Team, Judon recorded his first two sacks of the season on Dwayne Haskins during the 31–17 win.[36] In Week 8 against the Steelers, Judon was ejected from the game after making contact with an official.[37] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 3, 2020,[38] and activated two days later.[39] He was placed back on the COVID-19 list on November 30,[40] and activated again on December 9.[41] In Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Judon recorded a sack on Gardner Minshew in the endzone for a safety during the 40–14 win.[42] In the 2020 season, he appeared in 14 games and started 13. He finished with six sacks, one safety, 50 total tackles (32 solo), and two passes defended.[43]

New England Patriots

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2021

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On March 19, 2021, Judon signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Patriots.[44][45] Judon surpassed his career high in sacks by Week 11, earning him Pro Bowl honors for a third consecutive season.[46] He finished the 2021 season with 12.5 sacks, 60 total tackles (38 solo), one pass defended, and one fumble recovery.[47] He was ranked 52nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[48]

2022

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In Week 5 of the 2022 season, Judon had two sacks in a 29–0 win over the Detroit Lions, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[49] In Week 7, he had 2.5 sacks against the Bears.[50] In Week 9, he had three sacks against the Colts.[51] Judon surpassed his career high in sacks by Week 11 against the New York Jets, recording 1.5 sacks and reaching 13 on the year.[52] He finished the season with 15.5 sacks, which was fourth in the NFL, along with 60 tackles, two forced fumbles, and three passes defensed.[53][54]

2023

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Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Judon was ranked 33rd by fellow players for the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.[55] On August 4, 2023, Judon and the Patriots agreed to a contract adjustment.[56] He recorded a safety in Week 3 against the Jets.[57] He suffered a torn lower bicep in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 14, 2023.[58][59]

Atlanta Falcons

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On August 14, 2024, Judon was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2025 third-round pick.[60]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions Stuffs
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD Stf Yds
2016 BAL 14 0 27 12 15 4.0 0 1 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0
2017 BAL 16 12 61 51 10 8.0 2 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 10 29
2018 BAL 16 8 44 29 15 7.0 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 5 23
2019 BAL 16 16 54 43 11 9.5 4 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 9 30
2020 BAL 14 13 50 32 18 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 3 9
2021 NE 17 16 60 38 22 12.5 0 1 −6 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 7.5 4
2022 NE 17 15 60 36 24 15.5 2 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 7 4
2023 NE 4 2 13 10 3 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
Career 114 82 369 251 118 66.5 9 4 −2 0 0 0.0 0 0 14 42.5 99

Personal life

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Judon was born in the United States and is of Burundian descent.[61] He is one of ten children. At Grand Valley State, he wore the number 9 to honor his nine siblings. When the NFL changed uniform rules to allow defensive linemen to wear single-digit numbers in 2021, he chose it for his uniform number with the Patriots.[62]

References

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  1. ^ Markus, Don (April 30, 2016). "Ravens take Division II sack leader Matt Judon in 5th round". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Easterling, Luke (March 17, 2017). "2016 NFL Draft: Don't Overlook Nation's Top Small-School Sack Artist, Matt Judon". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Knott, Tim (March 15, 2016). "GVSU Hosts 2016 Football Pro Day". gvsulakers.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  4. ^ Easterling, Luke (March 17, 2016). "2016 NFL Draft: Don't Overlook Nation's Top Small-School Sack Artist, Matt Judon". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  5. ^ Wallner, Peter (March 15, 2016). "NFL scouts flock to see Matt Judon's pro day at Grand Valley State". mlive.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  6. ^ Wallner, Peter (February 11, 2016). "Grand Valley's Matt Judon gets graded with NFL Combine invitation". mlive.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  7. ^ "Matt Judon, DS #14 DE, Grand Valley State". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  8. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Matt Judon". NFL.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  9. ^ Mink, Ryan (April 30, 2017). "Round 5: Ravens Draft OLB Matt Judon At No. 146". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  10. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "Spotrac.com: Matt Judon contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  12. ^ "Ourlads.com: Baltimore Ravens' depth chart: 08/01/2016". Ourlads.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens - September 11th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Odeniran, Wola (October 2, 2016). "Baltimore Ravens inactive's vs. Oakland Raiders". Baltimore Beatdown. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets - October 23rd, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  16. ^ Cimini, Rich (October 24, 2016). "Jets return to Fitzpatrick after Smith tears ACL". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  17. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots - December 12th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "Matt Judon 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "Baltimore Ravens Depth Charger August 2017". Ourlads.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  20. ^ Mazza, Evan (September 6, 2017). "Baltimore Ravens release Week 1 depth chart". baltimorebeatdown.com. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  21. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – September 17th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  23. ^ "Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens - October 15th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers - November 19th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  25. ^ Lam, Quang M. (November 22, 2017). "Antonio Brown, Mark Ingram among Players of Week". NFL.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "Matt Judon 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "2017 Baltimore Ravens Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  28. ^ "Ravens' Matt Judon: Records three sacks in win". CBSSports.com. November 25, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "Matt Judon 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  30. ^ "Ravens harass Watson, beat Texans 41–7 for 6th straight win". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  31. ^ "Ravens clinch AFC playoff berth with 24–17 win over Bills". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  32. ^ "Despite lacking star power, Ravens beat Steelers 28–10". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  33. ^ "Matt Judon 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  34. ^ Brown, Clifton (March 13, 2020). "Ravens Place Franchise Tag on Matthew Judon". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  35. ^ Mink, Ryan (May 28, 2020). "Matthew Judon Signs Franchise Tender". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  36. ^ Dajani, Jordan (October 4, 2020). "Ravens vs. Washington score: Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews rebound to defeat Washington with ease". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  37. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  38. ^ "Ravens place Judon, Queen, 5 others on Reserve/COVID 19 list". APNews.com. November 3, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  39. ^ Mink, Ryan (November 5, 2020). "Matthew Judon Removed From Reserve/COVID-19 List". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  40. ^ Brown, Clifton; Mink, Ryan (November 30, 2020). "Four More Ravens Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List, Four Return". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  41. ^ Mink, Ryan (December 9, 2020). "Ravens Activate Mark Andrews, Matthew Judon Off COVID-19 List". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  42. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens – December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  43. ^ "Matt Judon 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  44. ^ Shook, Nick (March 15, 2021). "Patriots signing pass rusher Matt Judon, DB Jalen Mills to four-year deals". NFL.com.
  45. ^ "Patriots Sign 10 Free Agents". Patriots.com. March 19, 2021.
  46. ^ D'Abate, Mike (December 23, 2021). "Jackson, Judon and Slater Comprise Trio of Patriots Selected to Pro Bowl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  47. ^ "Matt Judon 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  48. ^ "2022 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  49. ^ Baca, Michael (October 12, 2022). "Bills' Josh Allen, Saints' Taysom Hill highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  50. ^ "Chicago Bears at New England Patriots - October 24th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  51. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots - November 6th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  52. ^ "New York Jets at New England Patriots - November 20th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  53. ^ "2022 NFL Defense". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  54. ^ "Matt Judon 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  55. ^ "2023 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  56. ^ Smith, Coral (August 4, 2023). "Patriots OLB Matthew Judon getting adjusted contract, increasing guaranteed money to $14M in 2023". NFL.com.
  57. ^ "New England Patriots at New York Jets - September 24th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  58. ^ "Patriots Make a Series of Transactions". Patriots.com. October 14, 2023.
  59. ^ "Patriots' Matthew Judon: Shifts to IR". CBSSports.com. October 14, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  60. ^ McElhaney, Tori (August 14, 2024). "Falcons agree to terms with New England to acquire pass rusher Matthew Judon, pending physical". atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  61. ^ "Did Burundi's Matt Judon save the New England Patriots' season?". ESPN.com. September 26, 2023.
  62. ^ O'Malley, Nick (June 15, 2021). "Patriots LB Matt Judon, 1 of 10 children, wears No. 9 to represent his 9 siblings". MassLive.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
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