Tag: falcons news

CBS Sports identifies the Falcons’ best offseason move

CBS Sports identified the #Falcons’ best move of the 2023 NFL offseason

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After years of penny-pinching, the Atlanta Falcons went into the 2023 offseason with the second-most salary cap space in the NFL. The team was able to land one of the best defenders in free agency, while adding some quality veterans and retaining two key offensive linemen.

The Falcons later selected running back Bijan Robinson and guard Matthew Bergeron in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL draft.

So what was the team’s best move of the offseason? According to Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports, Atlanta’s signing of former Bengals safety Jessie Bates III stood above all the others:

Was it a quiet offseason for Atlanta? Not on the defensive side of the ball, as the Falcons worked to get players that fit Ryan Nielsen’s scheme. Bates is the centerpiece of the defensive moves, signing one of the best safeties in football to a four-year, $64 million deal. 

Bates had the same impact last year as he had in previous years, finishing with 71 tackles, eight passes defensed and a career-high four interceptions for the Bengals in 2022. Opposing quarterbacks had just a 49.8 passer rating targeting Bates, completing just 59% of their passes.

Obviously, Atlanta’s secondary struggled last season and Bates should be a welcome addition. Could the play-making safety bring out the best of Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell? Kerr seems to think so:

The Falcons had a bottom ten pass defense last season, ranking 25th in pass yards allowed and 23rd in pass touchdowns allowed. Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins were their starting safeties last season, so Bates is a massive upgrade. Bates should get A.J. Terrell back to his All-Pro level too. — Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

Bates was a name we saw linked to the Falcons for much of the offseason, so it’s nice to see the team close the deal on one of the most dominant free safeties in football. Atlanta added a few other pieces to the secondary during free agency, including Bates’ former teammate, Tre Flowers, and nickel CB Mike Hughes.

It will be up to defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen to get the most out of the team’s revamped defense this season.

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PFF ranks Chris Lindstrom among NFL’s top 5 guards

Falcons offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom makes the top five of PFF’s new guard rankings

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With over $60 million in cap space available at the start of free agency, the Atlanta Falcons made sure to spend some serious cash. The team signed several free agents, but the biggest contract Atlanta handed out was Chris Lindstrom’s five-year extension.

By paying Lindstrom $102 million over the next five years, the former first-round pick became the highest-paid guard in the NFL. Nobody can deny it’s a lot of money to pay an interior lineman, however, Lindstrom’s age and production warranted this kind of lucrative contract.

Pro Football Focus rated Lindstrom as top-five at his position going into the 2023 season. The big man came in at No. 4 in PFF’s new guard rankings:

With PFF grades that have jumped significantly every season since he entered the league, including a league-best 95.0 mark in 2022, Lindstrom has a case to be three spots too low on this list. The players above him have impressed for longer, but Lindstrom finished the 2022 season with PFF grades above 90.0 in five of seven games and could be the consensus top guard in football by the end of this season. – Gordon McGuinness, PFF

Since being drafted in 2019, Lindstrom has shown consistent improvement each year, and that’s reflected in his PFF ratings. After posting a 66.6 grade in 2019, he went up to a 77.1 in 2020, and then up to 83.7 in 2021.

Last season, Lindstrom recorded a league-leading 95.0 offensive grade from PFF. He finished with individual grades of 90 or above in seven games in 2022, including five of the last seven.

Lindstrom wasn’t the only Falcons offensive lineman to get paid this offseason, though. Right tackle Kaleb McGary signed a 3-year, 34.5 million contract after unsuccessfully testing the free-agent waters.

Atlanta’s offensive line had long been considered one of the biggest weaknesses on the roster, but things have really turned around over the last two years under head coach Arthur Smith.

There’s definitely still room for improvement in the pass protection department. Nonetheless, this group has come a long way.

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CBS Sports predicts Falcons will lose to Panthers in Week 1

CBS Sports is predicting the #Falcons will lose their Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers

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The 2023 NFL season is still over three months away, but that won’t stop people from talking about it every day until Week 1 arrives. For the second year in a row, Atlanta will open the season at home against an NFC South rival.

This time, it’s the Carolina Panthers coming to town with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young under center. However, the Falcons haven’t won a home opener since their 26-24 win over the Eagles back in 2015, and their last Week 1 victory came against Chicago back in 2017.

Will Atlanta break this steak in 2023? Despite the Falcons being three-point favorites, CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani is giving the edge to the Panthers. In Dajani’s way-too-early Week 1 picks, he predicts Carolina to walk away with a 21-17 win.

The Panthers and Falcons split the season series in 2022, and they will meet again in Week 15 of the 2023 season. However, this Week 1 matchup is the one we’re highlighting in our five most-anticipated games on Atlanta’s 2023 schedule.

CBS Sports did give the Falcons some love this week, picking the team to win the division and finish with double-digit wins for the first time since 2017.

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Falcons Twitter reacts to 2023 schedule release

#Falcons Twitter reacts to the team’s lack of prime-time games on the 2023 NFL schedule

When the Atlanta Falcons’ 2023 schedule dropped on Thursday night, the first thing fans noticed was that there was not a single prime-time matchup. This could potentially change since two of Atlanta’s games were not given a specific date or time — Week 15 and Week 18 — but for now, nearly every game starts at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Still, the early portion of the schedule has many fans eyeing a return to the postseason. With a fast start, the Falcons could very well end their current five-year playoff drought. Here’s how Twitter reacted to Atlanta’s 2023 regular-season slate.

Falcons Twitter reacts to London matchup vs. Jaguars

#Falcons fans react to the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Jaguars in London

The Atlanta Falcons will make their return to London in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season for a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

This International Series matchup technically counts as a home game for the Jaguars, so the Falcons will still have eight games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Fans are looking forward to taking on former Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who was traded to Jacksonville last year at the trade deadline.

Check out how Twitter reacted to the team’s return to London.

Falcons have NFL’s easiest strength of schedule in 2023

The #Falcons have the NFL’s easiest strength of schedule based on their opponents’ records in 2022

The NFL will officially reveal the 2023 regular season schedule on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, but we already know which teams the Atlanta Falcons will face off against this year.

Atlanta’s 2023 opponents finished with a combined record of 119-167-3 last season, with an overall winning percentage of .417. That gives the Falcons the easiest strength of schedule in the entire NFL this year.

Aside from the three other NFC South teams, the Falcons will take on the NFC North and AFC South divisions this season. Atlanta also has games against the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders.

The league will unveil the entirety of the 2023 schedule this Thursday evening on NFL Network.

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CBS Sports makes bold prediction for Falcons rookie

CBS Sports is predicting #Falcons RB Bijan Robinson to have an “Adrian Peterson-type impact” this season

Prior to Tyler Allgeier’s breakout campaign in 2022, the last time a Falcons running back rushed for over 1,000 yards in season was Devonta Freeman back in 2016.

While many thought Allgeier would go into the 2023 season as Atlanta’s feature back, the team went in a different direction by drafting Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick. Both players should be heavily involved in the offense this season, but Robinson will likely take over as the No. 1 running back.

So what is Robinson’s ceiling in Arthur Smith’s run-heavy offense? CBS Sports predicts the Falcons rookie will finish top five in the NFL in rushing yards this season:

The Falcons run blocking is excellent and will create enough holes for Robinson to get a lot of big runs and force plenty of missed tackles. Don’t be surprised if Robinson makes an Adrian Peterson-type impact for this team in his rookie season. — Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

Predicting a rookie running back will break 1,000 yards is bold, but comparing his potential impact to that of Adrian Peterson shows just how much hype Robinson has coming into the league. So, what would a top-five rushing season look like?

Last year, Eagles running back Miles Sanders finished fifth in the league with 1,269 rushing yards, while Raiders RB Josh Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards. Here’s a look at the top five rushers in 2022.

  1. Josh Jacobs: 1,653
  2. Derrick Henry: 1,538
  3. Nick Chubb: 1,525
  4. Saquon Barkley: 1,312
  5. Miles Sanders: 1,269

Allgeier finished his rookie season with 1,035 rushing yards, which ranked 14th in the NFL.

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Falcons invite 2 more XFL players to rookie minicamp

The #Falcons have invited two more XFL players to their rookie minicamp

Earlier this week, the Falcons invited two members of the XFL to attend their rookie minicamp. On Thursday, two more XFL players received invites from Atlanta.

Vegas Vipers tight end Cam Sutton and Seattle Sea Dragons offensive lineman Barry Wesley will be looking to make an impression on the Falcons coaching staff when camp kicks off next week.

Sutton went to college at Fresno State before signing with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2021. After his short stint in Seattle, Sutton wound up playing for the Vipers in 2023, recording 12 receptions for 140 receiving yards.

Wesley is a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman who started five games for the XFL’s Sea Dragons in 2023. The former Colorado standout prides himself on his versatility and toughness.

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Falcons’ Bijan Robinson invited to NFLPA Rookie Premiere event

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson is one of 45 rookies invited to NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere event

Each year, the NFLPA hosts a rookie premiere event to help incoming players jump start their endorsement careers and learn to better market themselves outside of the game.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted six players in the 2023 NFL draft, but just one was invited to the NFLPA’s rookie premiere. Rookie running back Bijan Robinson was the lone member of Atlanta’s draft class to earn an invite, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

In total, 45 rookies will attend the NFLPA’s event, but the group is made up of mostly high draft picks and offensive skill position players. The rookie premiere will be held in Los Angeles, California from May 18-21.

Check out the full list of rookies to receive invites below.

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Falcons Twitter reacts to Bijan Robinson taking No. 7 from Koo

Falcons fans react to RB Bijan Robinson wearing the No. 7 — which was previously worn by Younghoe Koo and Michael Vick

The No. 7 jersey has been a part of Atlanta’s culture since quarterback Michael Vick was drafted by the Falcons with the first overall pick back in 2001. Once Vick’s time in Atlanta was over, it took a full decade before another player wore the No. 7.

Kicker Younghoe Koo started wearing it when he signed with the team as a free agent in 2019 and has worn it for the last four seasons. It now appears that rookie running back Bijan Robinson has acquired the number from Koo.

While not all fans were happy about the change, many were thrilled to hear Robinson was taking the No. 7. Here’s how Falcons Twitter reacted to the news.