Between now and the start of the new league year in March, TGS is providing brief summaries looking ahead at the offseason from the perspective of each NFL team. In this edition, we look at the Atlanta Falcons.
2016 record: 11-5 — 1st place, NFC South (lost Super Bowl LI)
What’s new? They lost a whole bunch of coaches, including offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Richard Smith. Replacing those two are Steve Sarkisian and Marquand Manuel.
Projected salary cap space: $19 million — Only five teams are projected to have less money to spend.
Key in-house free agents: DE Dwight Freeney, DT Jonathan Babineaux, G Chris Chester, LB Sean Weatherspoon
Freeney and Babineaux can be forces up front, but they’re both over 35. Chester is 34 and coming off a bad season. Weatherspoon can’t stay healthy. They might be saying good riddance with all four of ’em.
Key needs: Defensive line and guard, especially if they lose any/all the first three guys listed above.
Draft breakdown: They hold the No. 31 overall pick and it’s status quo from there.
Other potential priorities: Stud back Devonta Freeman and top corner Desmond Trufant both have contracts that are slated to expire after the 2017 season.
Outlook: They’ll still be good, but the 2017 Falcons could look a lot different than the team that nearly won the Super Bowl in 2016. They might actually get even younger on defense.
