ESPN Dishes on Atlanta Falcons' Biggest Offseason Question

The Atlanta Falcons entered the offseason with more questions than answers again as they finished their eighth straight season with a losing record.

We've gotten answers to several of those questions, including who will be in charge of the team, who will pick the players, and who will coach them. But even those answers bring up more questions. Will first-time president Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham be successful?

Is head coach Kevin Stefanski the guy who won NFL coach of the year twice, or the guy who stumbled with an admittedly dysfunctional organization?

The biggest question facing the team is likely the long-term viability of 2024 No. 8 pick Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback. Can he stay healthy, and if he can stay healthy, can he become the franchise quarterback the Falcons picked him to be?

ESPN's Big Question for Atlanta Falcons

However, in a recent column, ESPN tried to ask and answer the biggest question for all 32 teams in the NFL. For the Falcons, they picked edge rusher James Pearce Jr., and how the Falcons will react to his arrest on multiple felonies earlier this month.

"Pearce, who led the team with 10.5 sacks as a rookie, was arrested Feb. 7 on five felony counts. How will they handle such a situation?" ESPN beat writer Marc Ramondi asked.

"Pearce was a crucial part of a much-improved defense that set a franchise record in sacks (57). It's premature to say how Pearce's legal issues will go. But in any kind of absence, fellow 2025 draftee Jalon Walker might need to increase his production and -- yet again -- Atlanta will likely be in the market for another edge rusher this offseason."

The Falcons already spent this year's first-round pick on Pearce, which looked like a steal just two weeks ago. Edge rushers Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd are scheduled to be free agents in March, leaving Walker as the only edge rusher with significant experience. Even that experience is limited to only nine starts as a rookie.

Finding Help

Getting depth at that position in the offseason was always going to be a goal. Now, it might become a need. The Falcons are light on draft picks with only five heading into April. Cunningham said after he was hired that he found himself in a similar situation in Chicago, and they finished the draft with 10 picks.

Trading down was not the M.O. of previous general manager Terry Fontenot, but this is a team in desperate need of more rookie contract contributors.

The Friday before the Pearce news broke, we did a mock draft on the Falcons Podcast and took edge rusher Zion Young. He was just too good to pass up, knowing the Falcons needed depth there anyway. Roughly 24 hours later, Young looked like a starter on our hypothetical team.

By executing two trades and moving down from No. 79 to No. 98 in the third round, we added two fourth-round picks, a fifth, and a sixth. If only it were this easy on draft day.