Written By: Joe Carlino, @Blitzalytics @joecarlino14
What was supposed to be a great year for the Falcons turned into a disaster marred by injuries, as they finished 7-9 and out of the playoffs for the first time in three years. The team took action immediately, firing all three coordinators shortly after the season concluded. Since then, they’ve hired former Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter as their OC once again, brought on Ben Kotwica as the special teams coordinator, and added on defensive play-calling duties to head coach Dan Quinn’s responsibilities. The offensive juggernaut will return, but defensively, questions still need to be answered by Quinn.
Available Salary Cap Space- $23,716,812 (According to OverTheCap.com)
Free Agents
UFA
Andy Levitre- LG
Matt Schaub- QB
Bruce Irvin- DE
Ben Garland- LG
Derrick Shelby- DE
Justin Bethel- CB
Terrell McClain- DE
John Condo- LS
Logan Paulsen- TE
Kemal Ishmael- S
Ty Sambrailo- LT
Jordan Richards- S
Zane Beadles- LG
Blidi Wreh-Wilson- CB
Tevin Coleman- RB Steven Means- DE
Bruce Carter- ILB
Justin Hardy- WR
Grady Jarrett- DT
RFA
Brian Poole- CB
ERFA
Marvin Hall- WR
Potential Cap Casualties (Bold = Dead Money, Italics = Cap Gain)
Brooks Reed- DE ($940,000) ($4,500,000)
Vic Beasley, Jr.- LB ($0) ($12,810,000)
5th year player option guaranteed for injury, must pass physical to make cut
Robert Alford- CB ($1,200,000) ($7,900,000)
Brandon Fusco- OG ($1,500,000) ($3,293,750)
Jack Crawford- DT ($833,334) ($2,525,000)
*All figures for cap purposes will be taken as pre-June 1st, unless otherwise stated. All cap figures courtesy of Overthecap.com/Spotrac.com.
Team Needs
OT
OG
FB
LB
CB
Draft pick Allotment
First Round #14
Second Round #13 (45th overall)
Third Round #16 (79th overall)
Fourth Round #15 (117th overall)
Fourth Round (139th overall; Compensatory- Dontari Poe)
Fifth Round #14 (153rd overall)
Fifth Round (173rd overall; Compensatory- Taylor Gabriel)
Sixth Round #13 (188th overall)
Seventh Round #16 (232nd overall)
*Compensatory Pick Projection courtesy of Nick Korte of Overthecap.com
Mock Offseason
Players Re-signed
Andy Levitre- LG
Matt Schaub- QB
Bruce Irvin- DE
Ben Garland- LG
Derrick Shelby- DE
Justin Bethel- CB
John Condo- LS
Logan Paulsen- TE
Kemal Ishmael- S
Ty Sambrailo- LT
Blidi Wreh-Wilson- CB
Tevin Coleman- RB
Grady Jarrett- DT
Brian Poole- CB
Marvin Hall- WR
Cap Casualties
Robert Alford- CB
Jack Crawford- DT (Void Contract)
Free Agent Targets
Thomas Davis, LB (Panthers)
A great coverage and run game linebacker, Davis was recently let go from the Panthers after 14 years with the organization. Despite having three ACL tears in his career and being 35 years old, Davis possesses some very unique talents. With his knack for the type of form tackling Dan Quinn wants out of his defense, he could fit in very nicely as a veteran presence and mentor to future elite linebacker Deion Jones.
Gerald McCoy, DT (Buccaneers)
An incredible talent on the interior of the defensive line, all signs are pointing towards arguably one of the modern-day favorites in Tampa Bay being sent off to test the free agent market. If McCoy should be available, Atlanta shouldn’t hesitate to sign him because his pros vastly outweigh the cons. His ability to be a dominant thorn in an opponent’s run game while also being able to generate interior pressure on quarterbacks is something the Falcons could use. Also, think of this: Grady Jarrett and Gerald McCoy on the interior with Takk McKinley and Vic Beasley crashing the edges?
Ja’Wuan James- OT (Dolphins)
Playing RT with the Dolphins, James was a consistent contributor both as a run blocker and in pass protection. He is an experienced OL who started 49 career games at Tennessee and 58 career games in Miami. He possesses ridiculous arm length (35”), and with Ryan Schrader having some difficulties this season, it wouldn’t hurt to sure up that side of the line with extra support. Atlanta only needs guards and a RT to fix, but with Fusco set to return from his injury, all signs point to just another outside presence is necessary to counter edge rushers.
Seven Round Mock Draft
1st Round: Brian Burns, EDGE (FSU)
2nd Round: Chris Lindstrom, G (Boston College)
3rd Round: Kaleb McGary, T (Washington)
4th Round: Devin Bush, Jr., LB (Michigan)
4th Round (Comp): Justice Hill, RB (Oklahoma State)
5th Round: Ricky Walker, DT (Virginia Tech)
5th Round (Comp): Jakobi Meyers, WR (NC State)
6th Round: Iman Marshall, CB (USC)
7th Round: Tanner Muse, S (Clemson)
Keep a lookout for more offseason blueprints as we get closer to the start of the new league year!