Five Biggest Free Agency Moves: Atlanta Falcons
With free agency now into its fifth week as April’s Draft draws closer, it’s time to start reviewing which teams filled some needs and who got weaker. Here are the five biggest free agency moves for each team so far.
After losing Super Bowl LI in heartbreaking fashion, it would be easy for the Falcons to fall into a slump. But Atlanta has a deep, talented roster and should be contenders once again after not losing too many starters in free agency. The Falcons just need to recompose, reload, and continue the youth movement on defense. Here are Atlanta’s five biggest free agency moves:
1 — Signing Dontari Poe
The Falcons have a talented young defense, but still had needs up front on the defensive line. Dontari Poe is a former first round pick who struggled with consistency in Kansas City. When on form, he can be a dominant force on the interior, and it will be interesting to see if head coach Dan Quinn can mould Poe into a more consistent player. Poe’s production dropped off in the last two years, with just 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and two force fumbles since 2014. Poe signed a one year, $8 million prove-it deal with Atlanta.
2 — Re-signing Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw was part of Atlanta’s defensive end rotation last season and returns on a new deal after a decent year. Upshaw started five of his 13 games with a sack, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. Upshaw signed another one year deal to return to the Falcons, hoping to continue to grow as a player under Dan Quinn.
3 — Signing Jack Crawford
London-born defensive end Jack Crawford arrives in Atlanta to bolster a pass rush that dropped off massively behind Vic Beasley last season. Crawford was mainly used as a rotational pass rusher in Dallas, with 9.5 sacks over the last three seasons. Crawford signed a three year, $10.3 million deal with a Falcons team who are desperate for pass rushers.
4 — Re-signing Matt Schaub
As the Raiders and Dolphins discovered in the playoffs last year, having a quality backup in case your franchise quarterback goes down can mean the difference between success and failure. With offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan taking San Francisco’s vacant head coaching position, there were rumours that Schaub would follow him. Instead, Schaub signed a two year, $9 million deal to remain reigning MVP Matt Ryan’s backup. Schaub is one of the NFL’s better backups, giving Atlanta insurance in case Ryan goes down.
5 — Re-signing Kemal Ishmael
One of Atlanta’s strengths is the depth of their roster, especially on defense. The Falcons didn’t want to see that strength diminish in free agency and committed to re-signing many of their free agents. Fifth year safety Kemal Ishmael returns on a one year, $2.5 million deal. The versatile hybrid player had two passes defensed last season, and usually plays strong safety.
