The Falcons don’t have much cap space to spend in free agency; in fact, they’re currently in the red at the time of this writing.
However, Terry Fontenot can restructure contracts like Chris Lindstrom, Jessie Bates III, and A.J. Terrell — players that will surely be in Atlanta for the totality of their deals — to create significant cap space. Atlanta’s GM also has other options like cutting David Onyemata and reworking Grady Jarrett’s contract. With those moves, the Falcons will have a lot more freedom to maneuver, but they’ll still have to be efficient with their spending if they are fill all of their holes, and there are a lot of them.
Thankfully, Ben Solak of ESPN curated a list of free agents who will be steals come next week, most of whom should be on Atlanta’s radar.
CB Carlton Davis III
2024 team: Detroit Lions | Age entering 2025 season: 28
Davis ended this past season on injured reserve, but he was great for the Lions before that injury, which has been a theme of Davis’ career. He’s never played a full season’s worth of games, but that also means he could be cheaper than a guy like D.J. Reed. If he garners a deal worth $42 million over three years, like Solak expects, that’s a deal that could fit within the Falcons’ cap restraints.
A.J. Terrell needs a running mate, and while a lot of focus is on pass rushers, I always say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Pressure and coverage go hand-in-hand. The Falcons need to do both.
LBÂ Jamien Sherwood
2024 team: New York Jets | Age entering 2025 season: 25
There might not be a free agent connected to the Falcons more than Jamien Sherwood, who is quickly becoming a household name in Atlanta because of his elite athleticism and connection to Jeff Ulbirch. Solak threw out a three-year, $22.5 million deal, but that’s not going to get it done.
The Falcons should be hesitant to spend their limited free-agent dollars on an off-ball linebacker with Kaden Elliss and Troy Andersen back in the fold. But the concerns with Elliss and Andersen are very real. The former is one-dimensional, and the latter has rarely been on the field since Atlanta drafted him in the second round.
CBÂ Paulson Adebo
2024 team: New Orleans Saints | Age entering 2025 season: 26
After breaking his femur, Adebo is in a similar boat as Davis in that he’s likely to garner a much cheaper free agent contract than before his injury. However, unlike Davis, Adebo probably won’t get a multi-year deal, as Solak expects.
If the Falcons can get Adebo on a cheap one-year deal to join Terrell, that would be a terrific use of resources. As Solak notes, Adebo has been extremely productive for the Saints, notching 18 passes defended in 2023 and another 10 this past season before the femur injury.
Edge Malcolm Koonce
2024 team: Las Vegas Raiders | Age entering 2025 season: 27
Koonce lost the entire 2024 season to a knee injury, but he had 8.0 sacks and 29 pressures in 2023. He might not be a sexy name like Haason Reddick or Khalil Mack, but the Falcons don’t exactly have the cache that a team might need to attract Reddick or Mack. It’s all about being efficient with your resources, and Koonce can be productive for the Falcons without breaking the bank. It would still only be one piece of an offseason filled with moves to improve the pass rush.
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Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
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