While the front office of the Atlanta Falcons isn’t going to admit it, the team is currently undergoing a rebuild. The Falcons are trying their best to remain competitive while doing so, but the roster could look much different in a few years.
There are three ways to acquire talent in the NFL: free agency, trades and the draft. All three methods are integral to building a competitive roster, but every team seems to take their own approach. Look no further than the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams reached the Super Bowl by taking very different paths.
After parting ways with Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Vontaze Burfict and Dre Kirkpatrick, the Bengals turned to the draft. Joe Burrow, Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins helped change the culture in Cincinnati. Additionally, Logan Wilson, Markus Bailey, and Akeem Davis-Gaither have provided a much-needed upgrade on defense.
The Bengals made a number of free-agent signings to fill out the rest of their roster, while the Rams went in another direction. Last offseason, Rams GM Stan Kroenke and head coach Sean McVay decided to go all in by acquiring Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller. All three players played a huge role in Los Angeles’ Super Bowl win — even with Beckham leaving early due to a knee injury.
Additionally, the Rams acquired Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, Eric Weddle, Andrew Whitworth, Robert Woods, and Sony Michel via trade or free agency.
Signings
- Andrew Whitworth – 2 years / $17 million
- Robert Woods – 4 years / $65 million (exp. 2025)
- Eric Weddle – 2 years / $10 million (retired 2020, re-retired 2022)
- Leonard Floyd – 4 years / $64 million
- Odell Beckham Jr. – 1 year / $2 million
Trades
- Matthew Stafford – Jared Goff / 2021 Round 3 / 2022 Round 1 / 2023 round 1
- Jalen Ramsey – 2020 Round 1 / 2021 Round 1, 4
- Von Miller – 2022 Round 2, 3
- Sony Michel – 2022 Round 5, 6 (could elevate to Round 4)
Acquiring established players paid off for the Rams, but these moves will also potentially hinder them in the future. Going into 2022, Los Angeles is in the bottom five in terms of cap space ($13.5 million cap deficit) and will have to restructure multiple contracts just to sign this year’s draft class.
The Falcons made similar moves in order to remain competitive after their Super Bowl loss, but those decisions came back to bite former GM Thomas Dimitroff. Look no further than the Falcons paying Dante Fowler after one good year as a desperate attempt to fix their pass rush.
Trading away assets has forced the Rams to find value on the second and third days of the draft. Five players drafted in round three or later were starting on the Rams defense.
So where does Atlanta go from here? As we broke down before, the Falcons could be a player in free agency if they move some money around. This would likely require trading away assets for draft capital as opposed to high-end talent. Essentially, you would be trading away productive veterans to replace with other veterans. It doesn’t make sense to trade away someone like Grady Jarrett just to sign another top defensive lineman because that doesn’t improve the team in the short or long term.
Balancing the present and future is a tightrope that Atlanta’s front office must walk this offseason.
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