Falcons named free agent landing spot for top QBs, WRs by PFF

In addition to a plethora of additional picks to help him prepare for the future, Terry Fontenot will have the eighth overall pick. Fontenot may very well have a top-5 player fall into his lap at the eighth pick, given the possible run of quarterbacks with the first three picks.

 

Before making any moves, the Falcons will have roughly $25 million in cap room in addition to the draft capital. With the departure of Lorenzo Carter, Mike Hughes, Taylor Heinicke, Jonnu Smith, and Mike Hughes, the total might rise to over $45 million. That would be about the tenth most cap space in the league, not including future cap restructures.

 

The Falcons have the financial flexibility to sign every notable free agent, according to Brad Speilberger of PFF has them doing, designating Atlanta as a destination for a few of the best quarterbacks and wide receivers in the upcoming class of free agents.

2. QB Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Potential landing spot(s): Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders

Cousins should be able to go on another free agency tour as he did back in 2018 before signing a fully guaranteed three-

year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons jump out as a team

that took the risk of not having a sure thing at quarterback in 2023, which

ultimately got head coach Arthur Smith fired, and they may be just outside

striking range for a top prospect with the No. 8 overall pick. They could also pair a

developmental rookie with Cousins starting for a year or two.

Pittsburgh has said it’ll bring in competition for Kenny Pickett heading

into 2024, but this wouldn’t be competition, it would be the starting job, so perhaps Cousins is too big a fish.

The Raiders also sit at the No. 13 overall pick, and veteran Jimmy

Garoppolo appears to be on the way out after getting benched for rookie Aidan

O’Connell. If new head coach Antonio Pierce wants to make Davante

Adams and Jakobi Meyers happy, perhaps he looks to make a splash.

The Falcons will target quarterbacks through trade candidates, free signings, and draft picks. There’s an urgent need for an improvement, and Terry Fontenot might have to take a few hits.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to combine a player like Kirk Cousins with a player like Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy for a two-year contract. It may even be the best option when all is said and done. The Falcons will most likely require both a long-term play and a stopgap alternative.

 

It’s not even very close to Cousins being the best quarterback available when he hits the free agent market. With one of the draft picks, the Falcons may contend now and lay the groundwork for future success.

63. WR Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills

Potential landing spot(s): Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars

Davis is a fit in Atlanta as a solid run-blocker who can also take the top off opposing defenses with one of the highest average depth of targets in the NFL, creating space for Drake London and Kyle Pitts. The Falcons need another playmaker in the passing game, and Davis offers value even on dropbacks where he is not targeted. Defenses were able to stack the box and condense their coverage formations this past season, though part of that was of course due to the quarterback play, but Davis would make them pay in 2024.

Jacksonville may move on from Zay Jones this offseason with an $8 million price tag on the way after he was extremely inefficient in 2023, so Davis fills the void left by another former Buffalo Bills wide receiver with a different skill set than Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, who will continue to benefit from having field-stretchers opposite them.

One of the Bills’ underappreciated players is Gabe Davis. When he’s not around, defenders can concentrate on Stefon Diggs. He plays a crucial part for Buffalo, and the Falcons and Drake London might find him to be of a similar relief.

His competitive drive has been highly praised by his former teammates. With Zac Robinson taking over as offensive coordinator, the Falcons should find his versatility and willingness to play any position appealing.

68. QB Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

Potential landing spot(s): Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos

The Falcons connection made more sense when former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was the head coach, but he is still nonetheless a bridge option akin to Andy Dalton signing a two-year deal with the Carolina Panthers last offseason.

Denver may feel comfortable with Jarrett Stidham, who they gave a strong contract to last offseason, as the bridge to a rookie or backup to a veteran more along the likes of a Kirk Cousins, but Sean Payton will not sit on his hands.

The Falcons don’t have many interesting options if Kirk Cousins isn’t available as a possible seasoned stopgap, and Ryan Tannehill is no exception. Since Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Falcons, was his coordinator in Tennessee, the veteran hasn’t had a successful season.

He had a career comeback with the Titans in 2019 and 2020. 2021 was productive even though it wasn’t as good. 2022 was a really bad year. Russell Wilson is a more cost-effective option for the Falcons than Tannehill and has provided superior output in recent times.

116. WR Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions

Potential landing spot(s): Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders

We must not let a tough outing in the NFC Championship Game from Reynolds distract us from the fact that he had a great season in Detroit, as he was always rock solid as a No. 3 receiver out wide who does well to find the soft spots in zones and can win at the intermediate levels. Reynolds was also an asset in the Lions’ run game.

This is another hypothetical connection between Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and his suspected new team, though we can’t be certain. Reynolds is one of the culture builder/leader types that would make a ton of sense for a new coach to bring along with him to a new stop.

Josh Reynolds may not be a popular choice among Falcons supporters. Look over the Lions pass catchers’ two crucial fourth-down misses in the NFC Championship, if you must. Reynolds is more than capable of filling in as a third wideout, which will be required in Zac Robinson’s scheme that emphasizes three receiver sets.

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