The Falcons have their coaching staff in place under new head coach Raheem Morris as the offseason progresses.
Terry Fontenot and the front office will have to assess the current roster with the coaching staff as impending free agents need decisions made. Guys like Bud Dupree, Calais Campbell, Jeff Okudah, and Scotty Miller are all candidates to be brought back on new deals.
Past that, A.J. Terrell and Kyle Pitts have decisions looming. Terrell needs a contract extension, while Pitts needs his fifth-year option exercised. Both seem like a foregone conclusion at this point.
Then it’ll be free agency and the draft. The Falcons are set to have $25 million in cap space and could create as much as $45 million with a few minor cuts. That doesn’t even include contract restructures. The point is that Fontenot will have plenty of money to lure any free agent to Atlanta as well as extend Terrell.
April will be here before we know it, and the Falcons hold the 8th overall pick for a third straight cycle. Atlanta sits in a precarious position. They’ll be out of reach of the top quarterbacks, but that run could result in a blue chip prospect ending up in Fontenot’s lap.
Matt Miller of ESPN has the Falcons taking the top defender in the draft, landing Terrion Arnold out of Alabama.
The Falcons have a need at quarterback, but the board so far has been focused on passers and pass-catchers, leaving GM Terry Fontenot with every defensive player in the draft still available to him. It’s a little too early for Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or any other passer, and I still think we’ll see Atlanta get in on Fields or Russell Wilson, given the offensive talent on the roster. So instead, the first defender comes off the board with this pick.
Arnold is a physical, feisty cornerback with great speed and the quickness to stick with receivers no matter the route. The Falcons have a star in A.J. Terrell and pairing them together could give the Falcons the league’s best CB duo.
The Falcons need a cornerback to pair with Terrell. Jeff Okudah performed admirably before going down with an injury. The former 3rd overall pick dealt with injuries and inconsistencies, which has been a theme throughout his career.
Arnold is a much more enticing option than Okudah. The Falcons do have an inspiring youngster in Clark Phillips as well as Dee Alford and Mike Hughes under contract. However, much like pitchers in baseball, you can never have enough cornerbacks in this league.
The Falcons should be taking the best available player at the 8th pick, and if it’s Terrion Arnold, Terry Fontenot shouldn’t hesitate to take the Alabama product. With the Falcons’ second-round pick, Miller has Fontenot adding to the receiving core with UNC product Devontez Walker.
Drake London will return as the WR1, but Mack Hollins, Van Jefferson, Scott Miller and KhaDarel Hodge are all set to hit free agency. Walker has great power in his route tree and an ability to run through contact both before and after the catch. The Falcons need a vertical threat opposite London, and Walker would bring that to the table immediately (17.0 yards per catch in 2023).
Regardless of who it is, the Falcons have to give Drake London some company in the wideout room. The depth is non-existent, and Zac Robinson comes from a system in Los Angeles that uses a lot of three-receiver sets. Robinson is obviously expected to maximize the talent on the roster, but the need for another wideout is apparent.
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