Falcons Closing the Gap With Buccaneers in NFC South: Analyst

The Atlanta Falcons received merely a passing grade from a lot of NFL analysts for their moves in free agency. When graded on a curve (taking into account the lack of cap space general manager Terry Fontenot had), the team graded better.

But without a curve, Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano awarded the Falcons a strong offseason grade when analyzing the NFC South on Wednesday.

Manzano gave the Falcons a B-plus, which was the second-best offseason grade in the division. Manzano appeared to like the Atlanta offseason in large part because of the aggressiveness the organization took in the NFL Draft.

"A year after shocking the football public for passing on an edge rusher and taking a quarterback in the first round weeks after signing Cousins, the Falcons surprised many again by drafting two edge rushers in the first round last month," Manzano wrote. "Atlanta put its future on the line—sending a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams—and went all in to select Pearce at No. 26, 11 spots after taking Walker.

"No one will care about losing a top pick if Pearce and Walker immediately improve a pass rush that has struggled in recent seasons."

The last sentence has been a lost fact on a lot of analysts the past two weeks. Did the Falcons give up a lot to move back up the board for edge rusher James Pearce Jr.? Absolutely.

But similar to the selection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall last year -- the decision was shocking and jarring, and a majority of football analysts hated it. But if Pearce is a big part of the solution to fixing Atlanta's pass rush this fall, then few will remember what he cost to draft.

Atlanta, though, entered the 2025 NFL Draft with little draft capital, and then traded up twice for defensive prospects. The Falcons also spent most of their available salary cap space on defensive needs.

That left the Falcons little opportunity to improve offensively, which seemed to prevent Manzano from giving Atlanta's offseason an A grade.

"With a well-balanced roster, this could finally be the year the Falcons knock off the Buccaneers for the NFC South crown. But by prioritizing the defense in the offseason, the Falcons didn’t do much to replace Dalman, who joined the Chicago Bears in free agency," Manzano wrote. "Ryan Neuzil, who made eight starts last season, is in line to be Dalman’s replacement.

"As for another offensive concern, second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will need other playmakers to step up besides wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson. Perhaps this is the year tight end Kyle Pitts breaks out as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal."

In summary, the Falcons are counting on Jalon Walker, Penix and Pearce to make the difference in the NFC South this season. Those three players have played a combined three games in the league.

But as Manzano explained, the Falcons already had to start Ryan Neuzil at center in eight games last season. The cost of keeping Drew Dalman after Neuzil proved to be a servicable replacement was too much.

To further push back on Manzano's analysis just a little, the Falcons also trust wide receiver Darnell Mooney and running back Tyler Allgeier.

Mooney had 992 receiving yards while Allgeier posted 732 yards from scrimmage last season. Mooney posted five catches for 82 yards in Penix's first start.

Yes, the Falcons desperately want more from tight end Kyle Pitts. But there are other weapons on Atlanta's roster that the team can use other than Drake London and Bijan Robinson.

In summary, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Falcons entering the 2025 NFL season. Manzano did an excellent job of explaining why.

The Carolina Panthers earned the best offseason grade from Manzano with an A. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren't far behind with a B grade.

The New Orleans Saints brought up the rear in the division with a D offseason grade according to Manzano.