Atlanta Falcons Offseason Preview

pThe Atlanta Falcons preview is up next, as they come in with a 4-13 record, earning them the 4^th overall pick in the draft. A big question coming in to the season was to see what they decided to do with their QB situation after paying Kirk Cousins while also drafting Michael Penix with the #8 pick in the draft. Neither QB took control as they split time this past season. Kirk finished with 13 TD and 31 INT while Penix finished with 13 TD and 25 INT. Bijan Robinson was effective on the ground as expected, but the dynamic receiving threats of Drake London and Kyle Pitts struggled with the lackluster QB play. The pass rush on defense was solid, but there was no dominant guy. Instead it was a group effort, with 13 total players tallying at least one sack. This team has some moves to make to improve this offseason, but there are some bright spots nonetheless.

Expiring Contracts:
Drew Dalman
Justin Simmons
Matthew Judon

2025 Highest Paid Players:
Kirk Cousins 40 million
Jessie Bates 22.3 million
Chris Lindstrom 22.2 million
Jake Matthews 21.8 million
Grady Jarrett 20.4 million
AJ Terrell Jr 19 million
Kaleb McGary 16.5 million
Darnell Mooney 14.5 million
David Onyemata 14.5 million
Kyle Pitts 10.9 million

Roster Needs:
LG
DE
DT
LB
CB2
SS

Resources:
4^th pick each round, 1-5
7^th round pick via LAR

Offseason Summary:
The main question with this team will again be how they address the QB position. Do you start Kirk, Penix, or go after another guy in the draft. Outside of that, the roster still has some noticeable holes that will need to be filled in order to improve the record next season. The offense is very talented, but the defense needs a lot of work. I could see this team going through a massive overhaul of their defense, especially in the front 7. Their best rushers are aging, and who knows how much left they have in the tank. I could see Atlanta spending all of their draft capital on defense, and they could potentially take the first defensive player off the board at #4 or trade down if people are  looking to move up to get a quarterback. The division is winnable if they make the right moves.

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