The purge begins for the Falcons
Carolina fans who are fretting about the direction of the franchise can at least take comfort that they’re not the only team in the NFC South entering a rough rebuilding period.
The story for Atlanta is a mass exodus of long-time starters. Their greatest loss thus far has been releasing top cornerback Desmond Trufant after seven years. He has already agreed to terms with the Lions. Trufant may not have lived up to his contract. However, he was still by far their best cover corner and they’ll need to find a quality replacement or they’re going to get roasted by the likes of Brees and Brady all year.
The Falcons are also losing running back Devonta Freeman, offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo, defensive end Vic Beasley and tight end Austin Hooper, who the Browns are making the highest-paid player at the position.
As far as additions go, the only significant move they’ve made so far is signing EDGE Dante Fowler, who is a nice pickup for them and qualifies as a significant step up over Beasley. Fowler is just 25 years old and is coming off a career-best year with 11.5 sacks in 2019. He should boost a floundering pass rush that finished last season ranked No. 29 in sacks.