In his final game of his fourth season with the Tennessee Titans, linebacker Rashaan Evans was a healthy scratch. But his play in his first five games with Atlanta appeared to have eased any second thoughts the Falcons could have had about trading former Pro Bowler Deion Jones.

Atlanta sent Jones to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night in an exchange of draft picks. A Pro Bowl selection in 2017, Jones had totaled 353 tackles for the Falcons over the previous three seasons.

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The Falcons unloaded Jones’ 2023 base salary of $12 million without feeling as though they hurt their defense.

Atlanta’s leading tacklers were its inside linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Jones last season, when the Falcons finished 30th in points allowed and 27th in rushing yards allowed among the NFL’s 32 teams. Oluokun left for the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency during the offseason, and Jones has been recovering from shoulder surgery in 2022.

Atlanta’s leading tacklers this season are inside linebackers Mykal Walker and Evans. Through five games, the Falcons rank 21st in points allowed and 17th in rushing yards allowed.

“We honestly feel that’s a strength of our team, and things evolve,” Atlanta coach Arthur Smith said about his team’s inside linebackers on Monday. “… Mykal Walker, we think, is playing really good football and the numbers show that, and the same with Rashaan.”

A first-round draft choice from Alabama in 2018, Evans made 207 tackles while starting every game in the 2019 and 2020 seasons for Tennessee. But in 2021, Evans dropped to 57 tackles as he missed five games with an ankle injury. In Tennessee’s 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the playoffs, the former Auburn High School star was healthy again, but he didn’t play.

After becoming an unrestricted free agent on March 16, Evans signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on April 19.

Through five games this season, Evans has made 41 tackles and recovered two fumbles, which is tied for the league lead among defensive players.

“Like any move we make, we try to do it for the best interest of the team,” Smith said about trading Jones. “We’re always mindful of the players and very appreciative of all the players that played here, especially the guys that have played well … Very appreciative of what Deion has done for us.”

Jones has spent 2022 on injured reserve, but the Browns are looking for him to make an impact after losing linebacker Anthony Walker to a season-ending injury in the third game. In the two games that Walker has missed, Cleveland yielded 390 rushing yards and lost twice.

At 2-3, the Falcons are tied for second in the NFC South. Atlanta would be in first, but it lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-15 on Sunday. The Bucs lead the division at 3-2.

With a six-point margin, Sunday’s game was the most lopsided of the Falcons’ five this season. Atlanta lost to the New Orleans Saints by one point and the Los Angeles Rams by four points in its first two games before beating the Seattle Seahawks by four points and the Cleveland Browns by three.

The Falcons will square off against the San Francisco 49ers at noon CDT Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.