Falcons Among Major Offseason Winners: Analyst

The dust seems to be settling on the NFL Draft fallout, which resulted in a lot of criticism tossed the way of general manager Terry Fontenot and the Atlanta Falcons.

But with NFL analysts now looking at the offseason in totality, the Falcons appear to be receiving more praise.

On Sunday, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton named eight offseason winners -- one for each NFL division. In the NFC South, Moton picked the Falcons as the biggest offseason victor.

Moton argued the moves Atlanta made at the team's biggest weakness -- edge rusher -- made them the NFC South winners.

First in free agency, the Falcons signed edge rusher Leonard Floyd. The team also added defensive end depth with Morgan Fox.

"Growing up and playing college football at Georgia, Floyd will enjoy a homecoming in his first year with the Falcons. Beyond the feel-good backstory, he's a consistent playmaker on the edge, logging at least 8.5 sacks and 21 pressures in five consecutive seasons," wrote Moton.

Then in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Falcons "double-dipped" with two edge rushers in the first round -- Georgia's Jalon Walker and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr.

"Walker is a hybrid defender who played edge-rusher and off-ball linebacker at Georgia. The Falcons can move him across the front seven," Moton wrote. "Over the last two years at Tennessee, Pearce showcased his explosiveness as a pure pass-rusher. The duo can transform the Falcons defense into a unit that gives quarterbacks nightmares.

The Falcons also made other less headline-grabbing but potentially significant defensive moves this offseason. At linebacker, the team signed veteran Divine Deablo.

On the second two days of the draft, the Falcons added two defensive backs in Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. Watts is expected to start next to Jessie Bates III at safety, and Bowman could compete for snaps at nickel.

Division championships aren't won in the spring. Unfortunately, the Falcons learned that the hard way last year. Despite a lot of hype around the team because of quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons still didn't win more than they lost in 2024.

But there's again reasons for optimism heading into 2025. According to Moton, no team in the NFC South improved their biggest weaknesses like the Falcons did this spring.