The Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Vic Beasley’s contract Wednesday.
Beasley, the eighth player taken in the 2015 draft, made the Pro Bowl after the 2016 season, when he led the NFL with 15.5 sacks.
Beasley, 25, has helped improve the Falcons’ pass rush. He had four sacks as a rookie before turning in a mega-season in 2016.
Last season, while shuttling back and forth between defensive end and linebacker, he recorded five sacks.
Beasley is slated to move back to defensive end exclusively next season.
“For a stretch there, we felt the best thing for us to do would be play him in both roles – at (linebacker) and at the nickel defensive end,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said at the NFL combine. “We’re just going to go back to what he does best. At the time, we needed to use him in that role, but we’ll feature him as a defensive end all the time in 2018.”
Beasley has started 36 games and has 94 tackles, 24.5 sacks and nine forced fumbles and one interception.
