In the midst of a wild week in the NFL, especially here in Atlanta with the Matt Ryan trade, you may have a missed flurry of free agency moves made by the Falcons.
With the re-signing of key pieces and the acquisition of instant impact players and a few depth pieces at positions of need, Thomas Mott shared his belief on 92.9 The Game that the Falcons have quietly had an impressive free agency period.
"The Falcons have had a fantastic free agency period. For a team that came in with ‘no money to spend,’ they went ahead and did a ton of good things.”
The Marcus Mariota deal in the immediate aftermath of the Ryan trade grabbed most of the headlines. On a 2-year, $18 million deal, Mott credited the Falcons for getting a veteran quarterback that will be able to win games while a rookie quarterback learns the ropes should the Falcons select one in the 2022 NFL Draft.
While Mariota may be the most noteworthy signing, Mott stated that the signing of CB Casey Hayward on a two-year, $11 million deal is the best of the bunch so far as a veteran starter opposite A.J. Terrell. A two-time pro bowler, Hayward started all 17 games for the Raiders in 2021. Atlanta also re-signed nickel corner Isaiah Oliver and safety Erik Harris on one-year deals for depth.
Perhaps the most glaring hole on the Falcons roster entering the offseason was on the defensive line. In 2021, the Falcons sacked the quarterback just 18 times—last in the NFL. While the Falcons didn’t have the cap space to go after Von Miller, Chandler Jones or some of the other top names on the market, they did add a value option in former Georgia Bulldog Lorenzo Carter on a one-year “prove it” deal. A third-round pick by the Giants, Carter started playing his best football at the end of 2021, racking up 5 sacks in his final four games. The team’s sack leader a season ago—Dante Fowler Jr.—had just 4.5 sacks all season. Anthony Rush was re-signed on a one-year deal.
Mott credited general manager Terry Fontenot for resigning Cordarrelle Patterson at a discounted rate—two-years, $10.5 million—following a career year that saw the hybrid RB/WR lead the team in both receiving and rushing touchdowns. As another depth piece in the backfield, RB Damien Williams was also brought into the fold.
Elijah Wilkinson and Colby Gossett have been signed as depth pieces on the offensive line.
One position that has yet to be addressed is the wide receiver group. The Falcons did sign KhaDarel Hodge Friday but have yet to make any significant additions to this point. The upcoming draft is considered to be deep at wide receiver and it's plausible that Atlanta selects multiple pass catchers when they’re on the clock.
