The hype of free agency has come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 16th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s talk about the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons
Key acquisitions: QB Marcus Mariota, CB Casey Hayward, OLB Lorenzo Carter, LB Rashaan Evans, OT Germain Ifedi, RB Damien Williams, TE Anthony Firkser, WR Damiere Byrd, WR Auden Tate, OT Elijah Wilkinson, WR KhaDarel Hodge, S Dean Marlowe, LS Beau Brinkley, CB Mike Ford
Re-signed: CB Isaiah Oliver, WR Cordarelle Patterson, K Younghoe Koo, S Erik Harris
Departures: QB Matt Ryan (Colts), LB Foye Oluokun (Jaguars), WR Russell Gage (Buccaneers), TE Hayden Hurst (Bengals), S Duron Harmon (Raiders), DE Dante Fowler Jr. (Cowboys), DT Tyeler Davison, LS Josh Harris (Chargers)
Remaining free agents: CB Fabian Moreau, DE Steven Means, DT Mike Pennel, C Josh Andrews
Analysis: The Atlanta Falcons have been on a steep decline since their Super Bowl appearance in 2018. While they’ve been trying to stay afloat the last few years, they’ve finally sunk to rock bottom. After 14 seasons, Matt Ryan is no longer a Falcon. He was traded to the Colts for a third round pick. It was time to move on and do right by Ryan by sending him to a better situation and officially hitting the reset button. You could see this coming after the Julio Jones trade last year that a rebuild was coming, and it’s official. There aren’t a whole lot of pieces on this roster that make you excited for the future besides Kyle Pitts and A.J. Terrell, and veterans Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones, so the team had to make some moves to get momentum started.
As the first few days of free agency went by, the Falcons were completely out of the headlines. A few of their unrestricted free agents were getting signed by other teams, notably starting linebacker Foye Oluokun and second-leading receiver Russell Gage.
It wasn’t until the fourth day of free agency when Atlanta agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Casey Hayward on a two-year deal. The Pro Bowler has had a ton of success as one of the best all-around corners in the league, breaking out with the Chargers in 2016 after four years in Green Bay before spending last season with the Raiders. He now leads the secondary and gets to mentor one of the best young up-and-coming corners in A.J. Terrell, who had a breakout season as a shutdown corner in just his second year. He’ll be taking the place of free agent Fabian Moreau, who started 16 games last season after four year in Washington. He is also joined by former second-round pick Isaiah Oliver, who re-signed with the team on a one-year deal. He’s been a starter the last three seasons, but missed most of last year with injury. Veteran safety Erik Harris was also brought back as the starting safety, but fellow safety Duron Harmon signed with the Raiders, so that opens the door for young players like Jaylinn Hawkins and Richie Grant.
Also added on defense is former first-round linebacker Rashaan Evans, who signed a one-year deal. After four years in Tennessee, you could see the team starting to move on from Evans with the signing of Zach Cunningham midseason, so he gets a fresh start to be a starter in Atlanta after the departure of leading tackler Foye Oluokun. Also signing a one-year deal is pass rusher Lorenzo Carter. The former Giant has had decent production, averaging 4-5 sacks a season when healthy, and is now the Falcons best pass rusher after they cut leading sacker, Dante Fowler, who had just 4.5 sacks.
On offense, the team brought in some line help with Germain Ifedi. The Falcons have been working to address the line in the draft the last few seasons, getting Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary in the first round in 2019, then Matt Hennessy in 2020, and Jalen Mayfield last year to team up with longtime left tackle Jake Matthews. Mayfield was one of the worst guards in the NFL as a rookie last year, so maybe Ifedi was brought in to compete with him, or provide depth along the line as he has played both tackle and guard in his career with the Seahawks and Bears.
They also added some talent at the skill positions with running back Damien Williams, forming a nice depth chart with Mike Davis and Cordarelle Patterson. I could see Williams being the lead back and Patterson, who was brought back on a two-year deal after a breakout season at age 30, as the gadget do-it-all player. They also signed tight end Anthony Firkser, who has experience with Arthur Smith from Tennessee, and backup wide receivers Damiere Byrd and Auden Tate. Both players are towards the top of the depth chart after Russell Gage left and Calvin Ridley suspended for the season. That leaves Olamide Zaccheaus as the WR1 with Kyle Pitts as the top receiving option.
Now who is going to be throwing to these guys? I’m glad you asked. After striking out on the Deshaun Watson deal and trading Matt Ryan, the Falcons signed Marcus Mariota to a two-year, $18.75 million deal. This is a rare opportunity for Mariota, who spent the last two years as Derek Carr’s backup in Vegas. He gets a chance to reprove himself, albeit with a limited roster, and hopefully become the franchise’s starter for years to come. He looked good when he came in for Carr in that primetime game and almost led them to victory, so there is still hope for the former No. 2 overall pick.
Conclusion: It’s officially a rebuild in Atlanta. This is the worst roster in the NFL and it needs a lot of work. They signed a couple nice players to mentor their young raw talent, but they are still a long ways out. They should not take a quarterback in the draft, as you don’t want to waste a rookie contract with this roster around him. Next year is a much better draft, so see what Mariota can do with what you’ve given him, and hope for the best.
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