The Falcons have a new General Manager and new head coach tasked with turning around a team that finished 4-12 in 2020.
That’s not going to be the easiest task, especially as Atlanta is one of the teams currently slated to be over the projected 2021 salary cap. But earlier this week, G.M. Terry Fontenot talked about how the Falcons’ personnel staff will have to be at its best to make the most of the team’s roster.
“We’re going to have to find players because you can’t just build your roster with overpaid players in free agency or top draft picks. We have to really dig and find value in free agency,” Fontenot said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s working with the coaches and finding exactly what they need and going and finding the players that they need. That’s throughout the entire draft and that’s in undrafted free agency. So, we have to be scouts and go find good players that can really fit the make-up and profile that we are looking for.”
The Falcons have already released safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey, and Fontenot said the club will have more difficult decisions to make over the coming weeks.
They do, however, own the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming draft. And for a team with a new staff and limited cap space, younger players may have a better shot at solidifying themselves as a hidden gem in Atlanta than in other spots.
