Falcons Put on Blast for 'Inexplicably' Poor Offseason Move

ESPN's Seth Walder has liked little of what general manager Terry Fontenot has done with theAtlanta Falcons the past four years. So, Walder unsurprisingly disliked Fontenot's decision to move back into the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

On Thursday, Walder called Atlanta's decision to trade up to draft Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26 overall the offseason move "he disliked" for the Falcons.

"Atlanta's biggest move came during the first night of the draft -- and it was a shocker. After making a perfectly fine selection of Jalon Walker at No. 15, the Falcons inexplicably dealt picks Nos. 46, 242 and a future first-round pick for Nos. 26 and 101," wrote Walder.

"The Falcons' target? Pearce, another pass rusher. There's nothing wrong with taking two edge rushers to fill a need. But there is everything wrong with dealing a future first to move up into the back end of the first round for a non-quarterback. Pearce was also off multiple teams' draft boards due to maturity concerns, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported."

"The value was bad, but it's potentially disastrous if the Falcons end up picking early in next year's draft. That is fully within the range of outcomes -- quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is a mostly unknown quantity and FPI considers Atlanta the 26th-best team in the league entering this season. This was an unforced error and a bad one."

Walder labeled Atlanta's decision to allow center Drew Dalman to leave in free agency and replace him with Ryan Neuzil the "move I liked" for the Falcons this offseason. He also commended the Falcons for cutting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

Even still, Walder gave the Falcons a C-minus offseason grade. Only the New Orleans Saints fared worse with a D grade.

The other 30 teams had at least a C grade from Walder.

It's the second year in a row Walder bashed the Falcons for their offseason. In 2024, the ESPN analyst also awarded the Falcons a C-minus offseason grade. Only three teams were below Atlanta's C-minus last summer.

Two years ago, Walder called the Falcons drafting Bijan Robinson at No. 8 overall "inexcusable" because of the perceived positional value at running back.

Inexplicable? Inexcuseable? Clearly, Walder has a very different idea of how Fontenot should be managing the Falcons roster. Walder lives and dies by analytics and draft board value while Fontenot appears to target players more based on his eyes.

And when Fontenot falls in love with a prospect, he ensures he gets him, really no matter the trade cost.

That strategy is never going to win over the analytic crowd. But it can still be a winning strategy.

The best way for Fontenot to get Walder off his back is for the Falcons to finally win this season.