With just over $4 million in available cap space left, it seems the Atlanta Falcons are turning their attention toward the upcoming NFL Draft after the first week of free agency.
Like last offseason, the Falcons were big spenders, this time focusing heavily on their offense. The free agent frenzy saw the Falcons find their next franchise quarterback in the 35-year-old Kirk Cousins. At the same time, they added several weapons to join him in Atlanta: receivers Darnell Mooney, K.J. Osborn, Ray-Ray McCloud, and tight end Charlie Woerner.
This begs the question: How much did the Falcons improve with these additions? The latest power rankings from NFL.com have the Falcons ranked at No. 14 following their latest offseason spending spree.
"The Falcons are probably now the favorites (or perhaps co-favorites, with the Bucs) to win the NFC South," NFL.com writes. "That's what landing Kirk Cousins does for this team, assuming he'll be all the way back from his Achilles injury at the start of camp, ahead of his age-36 season. The risks here are obvious."
Cousins' recovery from the torn Achilles he suffered eight games into this past season is one of the biggest questions for the Falcons this coming season. If the former Vikings signal-caller can get back to playing at the level he did before the injury, then he could prove well worth the four-year, $180 million contract given to him.
However, even if Cousins can play at the level that saw him throw 25+ touchdowns in eight consecutive seasons—a feat only four other quarterbacks have achieved—the Falcons still cannot overlook their defensive needs.
That is where Edholm wants to see the Falcons improve next. Focusing on defense seems like a realistic expectation for the Falcons' draft, given their focus on offense in free agency.
As for where the Falcons' NFC South rivals rank, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trail them at No. 18, while the New Orleans Saints are at 25, and the Carolina Panthers came in at 32.
With just a month to go until the draft, the Falcons will look to improve their roster even more as they aim to end their seven-year postseason drought.
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