The Atlanta Falcons are another team added to the list of Super Bowl hangover victims. After being so close to winning it all in the 2016 season, Atlanta finished last season with four wins and 12 losses. That's quite the fall from grace.
To make matters worse, the team is looking at a projected -$31,668,889 in cap space. Franchise stalwarts Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are another year older at 35 and 32, respectively.
Atlanta had a middling offense and the absence of Jones for around half the season was certainly felt, although Ryan had a solid season passing the ball. Even though Jones only played in nine games, he still managed to get 771 receiving yards. The run game left much to be desired.
On the other hand, the defense was awful. The unit conceded 398.4 yards per game, which is the fourth-worst rank in the league. They had the worst pass defense in terms of total yards and consistently got run out of the field. The flipside for the defense is that they have solid pieces in Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones moving forward.
The Falcons wrapped up the 2020 season finishing last in the NFC South. Atlanta probably had the most heartbreaking regular season and let several games slip through their fingers. The early season game against the Dallas Cowboys was especially painful.
With that said, their final record is not exactly indicative of the team's quality. Nevertheless, the front office has many difficult decisions to make, particularly when it comes to roster cuts. One thing going against the roster cuts is that every contract that would save a significant amount comes with dead money. With the cap scenario though, it would not come as a surprise if some players restructure their contracts.
Defensive end Allen Bailey played in 16 games last season and had 1.5 sacks and a total of 14 tackles. It was a quiet season for the 10-year veteran, but he still showed that motor and relentlessness, needed for the position.
While he does not have the biggest cap hit at $4,500,000, every dollar counts in this cap space situation and it would be a good idea to get younger at the position. Cutting Bailey will come with $1,625,000 in dead money. While they can address the position in the draft, the Falcons did strike out with edge rushers Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley.
Another possible roster cut is offensive guard James Carpenter, who is in the same age situation as Bailey. Having a non-mobile quarterback in Ryan makes the need for a good offensive line even more pressing.
Carpenter is a solid guard with good size and smarts to make the right play, but if the front office wants to improve their cap space, he is a viable option for being cut. Doing so will free up $4,024,791 and come with dead money of $2,416,667. The financial payoff isn't as much compared to Bailey.
The most surprising roster cut the Falcons can make is free safety Ricardo Allen. As good as Jarrett and Jones are, one can make a case that Allen is the most important player on defense. He is a leader on that unit and worked his way up from being a fifth-round pick. He even learned a new position, as he was drafted as a cornerback.
Allen recovered well from his Achilles injury in the 2018 season and bounced back the following year. In the 2020 season, Allen missed a couple of games due to injury. Despite playing in only 12 games, he had 25 total tackles, five passes defended, and two interceptions. The safety is one of those players whose impact goes beyond the stat line.
Atlanta has a new general manager in Terry Fontenot and new head coach Arthur Smith. Both will not have the same connection to Allen as their predecessors. This will help make the cut more bearable. Parting ways with Allen will save $6,250,000 with dead money of $2,125,000. Of the three suggested roster cuts, Allen's is the one with the biggest potential to backfire. Sometimes letting go of a team leader has ramifications that do not show up on paper.
These cuts are difficult, but the front office still has to consider the retention of key free agents, such as hard-hitting safety Keanu Neal and veteran center Alex Mack. On top of all these, the Falcons will still have to work the salaries of the incoming draft class into the cap.
It is interesting to note that Atlanta has the fourth overall pick in the draft, they can opt to select Ryan's heir apparent in Justin Fields or Trey Lance, depending on who is available.
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