'Coach on the Field!' Ryan Nielsen Praises Veteran Presence of DL David Onyemata

Originally posted on FanNation Falcon Report
By John Macon Gillespie | Last updated 12/16/23

Veteran players can be a proverbial gold mine for NFL organizations, and that is certainly the case for the Atlanta Falcons defense.

Falcons defensive lineman David Onyemata was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he remained in NOLA until this year when he came to Atlanta. As a player who has seen the ups and downs of an NFL season for multiple years, his presence along the defensive front for the Falcons has paid dividends in 2023.

“When you have that kind of continuity, he knows everything – he’s a coach on the field," Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said. "He’s down on the fundamentals and technique, knows how to play the blocks, and up until he had the ankle, I thought he was playing as good as he was playing in his career.

"He was all over the place making some phenomenal plays, but that also gives some other guys some confidence knowing David’s story, how he started, how much he’s worked."

Onyemata is a native of Nigeria, and he played his college ball at the University of Manitoba in Canada. Those experiences eventually led him to a career in the NFL, and his teammates have reportedly made comments about his "elite" trash-talking skills in the league.

Nielsen didn't provide much insight on that story, but he does claim that Onyemata is one of the best people he knows, both on and off the field.

“One of the things I appreciate about David is he’s, outside the lines, as good of a person as you will be around," Nielsen said. "He really is. He has a good heart. He’s a very good person. He means well. He’s caring. All of those things, he really is.

"When he steps across those lines, he flips a switch. I’ve been around a couple of players that have been very similar to him that have been really good. It makes him get in that mindset of how he plays, the violence – and you have to be to play that particular position that takes double teams on for a living."

So far this season, Onyemata has registered 22 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.

He and the Falcons d-line will be tasked with containing quarterback Bryce Young and the one-win Carolina Panthers on Sunday in an NFC South showdown in Charlotte. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on FOX.

This article first appeared on FanNation Falcon Report and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: