As the NFL is approaching the midway point of the season, the NFC South is still waiting on a team to separate itself. As of right now, the division remains wide open. Look at it this way, if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were to lose their matchup against the Baltimore Ravens this Thursday night, then the Falcons and Panthers would be playing for the defacto lead in the NFC South on Sunday due to tie-breakers.
Wes Durham joined Dukes & Bell on Tuesday afternoon to discuss where the Falcons are with one week to the NFL's trade deadline. Should the Falcons throw care to the wind and go for it? That probably would not be wise, but there are avenues that the Falcons could take advantage of in their chase for the NFC South without compromising what could lay ahead.
The thought that the Falcons could make a move to bolster the defensive line grew increasingly pressing following the decision to cut Marlon Davidson earlier in the afternoon. Mike Bell asked whether the move could precipitate a Fontenot deal due to the weak NFC South playoff picture.
"I could see them making a move, but I don't guarantee it," said the voice of the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday afternoon. "You’ve got to find yourself in a spot here and we're at that intersection where the light is yellow. Are you gonna turn before the light gets red? And if you do, does that help you more now or does it put you in a tougher spot next year?"
As it currently stands, the Falcons have a critical need for depth in the secondary following injuries to A.J. Terrell, Isaiah Oliver, Dee Alford, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Casey Hayward which leave them 'questionable' or 'out' for the foreseeable future. Additionally, help in the pass rush that still ranks near the bottom in team sacks (11) would also be nice, but less likely following the investment the team made in last spring's draft.
"I think you've got to really think about these decisions because of what's going on around the league in some of this stuff now," Wes continued. "There are people who are harboring draft picks and some who want to give up some draft picks. Who wants to make a play right now? I think it's a tricky intersection that you're at if you're Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith."
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Atlanta is in a good place, with more than $56 million in cap space opening up next season. The team would be foolish if it over-leveraged itself to make a run at the playoffs a year or two too early, but there is also good reason to strike while the iron is hot -- and the division up for grabs.