Sporting News 'Biggest Miss' for Atlanta Falcons is a Head Scratcher

The Atlanta Falcons overhauled their defense in the offseason through a combination of low-to-mid-priced free agents and high draft picks. However, Hunter Cookson of The Sporting News believes the Falcons should have done more on that side of the ball.

In detailing the Falcons’ biggest miss of the offseason, he thinks they should have gone after free agent cornerback D.J. Reed to play opposite A.J. Terrell. 

Reed, who played the last three seasons under new Falcons’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with the New York Jets, signed a three-year, $48 million, $15.2 million guaranteed contract with the Detroit Lions. 

“Reed ended up signing with the Lions, but he would have been a great addition to the secondary alongside Terrell,” wrote Cookson on The Sporting News. “The Falcons have had a lot of swing and misses this offseason, and missing out on Reed only continues that trend.”

It’s an interesting analogy Cookson used to describe the Falcons’ offseason. Just up I-75 to the Battery, the Braves have fanned enough times to feel the breeze in Chattanooga. 

However, the Falcons were low on salary cap money, but still signed their two main, realistic targets in free agency in edge Leonard Floyd and linebacker Devine Deablo, and were uber-aggressive fixing the defense in the NFL Draft.

Would they have liked to have offloaded Kirk Cousins for a Day 2 pick and $27 million in cap relief? Sure. Did that opportunity even come close to manifesting? No.

What swing and misses are we referring to here? 

Reed was a player whom many Falcons fans wanted Atlanta to sign early in the offseason. The connection made sense at the time, after the Falcons hired Ulbrich. The familiarity between Reed and Ulbrich would’ve made for an easy transition into the Falcons' defense. 

In 14 games in 2024, Reed recorded 64 total tackles (52 solo, 12 assists), 0 interceptions, one sack, and 11 passes defended. Reed would have been a nice addition in Atlanta. $100-million defensive tackle Milton Williams would have been a nice addition as well. However, the guaranteed money given to Reed was more than the Falcons’ total allotment for new players in 2025. 

It would not have been difficult for Atlanta to bring in Reed, despite the fit for both parties.

You can’t swing and miss, if you don’t step up to the plate.