Dukes & Bell welcomed Falcons Owner Arthur Blank to the show on Monday to discuss the upcoming season as well as his new golf business venture. Blank and his team and now own the Atlanta franchise of the TGL, a new league formed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Blank also discussed the state of the franchise and he says he is pleased about getting out from under severe salary constraints and adding dynamic players in free agency.
“We’ve been able to make a bunch of commitments this year. Primarily on defense but also on offense. We have all the weapons we need on offense. We have a young team on defense and some inspirational older veterans that will play well and also show the younger fellas what the game looks like professionally,” Blank explained.
The Falcons were able to add several key vets on defense including safety Jessie Bates as well as David Onyemata and Calais Campbell on the defensive line. Offensively the team reloaded by bringing in veteran receiver Mack Hollins, tight end Jonnu Smith and drafting highly touted running back Bijan Robinson. All of these moves were only made possible because the club endured several lean years shedding bad contracts and letting aging veterans find new homes.
This is the first season Head Coach Arthur Smith will have a complete roster from top to bottom to work with after dealing with the cap restrictions his first two seasons at the helm. The Falcons have gone 7-10 during those seasons, a record that should improve this season after all the moves that were made leading into the 2023 campaign.
