The Atlanta Falcons are starting a new regime with a new general manager, Terry Fontenot, and a new head coach, Arthur Smith, and they have a lot of moves to make to get back to being competitive.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, they don't have a ton of cap space with which to work in 2021.

The Falcons started off by hiring Smith, Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator, as their new coach and brought in Fontenot as the new GM.

Atlanta is just a few years removed from a historic 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl—in which Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won in overtime.

For the Falcons, Dan Quinn was fired early on and Raheem Morris stepped in and did well as the interim head coach. Morris then headed to Los Angeles to replace Brandon Staley as the Rams' defensive coordinator after Staley moved to the other side of SoFi Stadium.

The Falcons have talent and some young stars on their team. Matt Ryan might not be the quarterback for much longer in Atlanta, but moves need to be made to have this team competing in the NFC.

Let's dive in and examine three free agent targets for the Falcons as they kick off their fresh start.

Melvin Ingram, Chargers

3. DE Melvin Ingram

The Falcons need help on the defensive side of the football, and that's not a secret. They ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in just about every defensive category, and that needs to be addressed.

Ingram spent his entire nine-year career with the Chargers, but it's almost certain they let him go in the offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler was an absolute force, especially when Joey Bosa was on the other side.

While he struggled with injuries and just played seven games in 2020, he can still perform and has the ability to disrupt the quarterback.

Prior to 2020, he had seven or more sacks in five straight seasons, including 10.5 in both 2015 and 2017. Ingram will bring a veteran presence to a young Falcons defense and could be had for a decent price—especially after having a mediocre season in his final year as a Charger.

After all, he's just a season removed from making a Pro Bowl appearance.

2. RB Chris Carson

The Todd Gurley experiment didn't work out too well for the Falcons, and the combination of Ito Smith and Brian Hill isn't exactly the most exciting group to lead the backfield.

With the Falcons having a top-five pick in the draft—and perhaps a quarterback coming in—they need to address the running back position.

The wide receiver core of Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones, and Russell Gage is one of the better trios in the NFL, but the backfield desperately needs some attention.

While the ideal candidate would be Aaron Jones, he is going to demand a ton of money—something the Falcons can't offer unless they cut, cut, cut.

Carson has spent his entire four-year career in Seattle but struggled with injuries and the Seahawks might benefit from letting him go and turning to rookie DeeJay Dallas.

He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before rushing for just 681 yards and five scores in 12 games in 2020 with injuries keeping him out for a quarter of the year.

Still, Carson is only 26 years old and could be had at a relatively cheap price compared to guys like Aaron Jones and James Conner.

He can still run the football and when healthy is one of the better backs in this league and Atlanta would love to have a guy like him in the backfield.

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1. OG Brandon Scherff

Whether the Falcons draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft or not remains to be seen, but the offensive line needs to be addressed either way.

The Falcons gave up fewer sacks than they did in 2019, but the line in general needs some work regardless if Ryan or somebody else is playing quarterback in 2021.

The lack of the running game could be attributed to many factors, but the fact that Gurley and company didn't have much room to work with certainly didn't help.

Brandon Scherff is one of the best lineman available in the upcoming free agency and will almost certainly be a hot commodity around the league.

Scherff has spent his entire career with the Washington Football Team and had the franchise tag placed on him last offseason, so it's questionable whether he returns to Washington or not.

He is a four-time Pro Bowler and receiver first-team All-Pro honors in 2020 and would shore up a Falcons line with a talented offense.

Everybody knows how much Arthur Smith enjoys running the football, just as Derrick Henry. With Smith running the show in Atlanta and a possibility of a new rookie quarterback under center, the need for a guy like Scherff is as obvious as it gets.