It's been a rough time for the Atlanta Falcons lately, but the franchise seems to be back on the right path. Since hiring Arthur Smith, optimism has struck the city of Atlanta. The front office has their work cut out for them, as the cap situation is not friendly. Even so, we take a look at a potential surprise Falcons roster cut victim ahead of the 2022 offseason.
The best moves this team can make are going to be through free agency and the NFL Draft. Atlanta is still dealing with a terrible cap situation but is slowly working themselves out of it. It'll be interesting to see how the Falcons attack the offseason, as the NFC South is shaping up to be one of the worst divisions next year.
This team has a shot to be the best team in their division and at the end of the day, the Falcons will be making moves to acquire the best roster possible. One of those could be to make a surprising release. Based on his salary cap and lack of production throughout this last season, Mike Davis could be in line to be let go by the team.
With that said, here is our surprise Falcons roster cut in the 2022 offseason.
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Surprise Falcons Roster Cut in 2022 Offseason
Mike Davis
Article Continues BelowAfter going bonkers for the Carolina Panthers in 2020, as he filled in for an injured Christian McCaffrey, Mike Davis earned a contract with the Falcons. It was believed he would be the starting running back and provide consistency out of the backfield. Instead, Davis turned out to be an insufficient option, as he was routinely outplayed by Cordarrelle Patterson.
Releasing Mike Davis makes sense for Atlanta. He's 28 years old, which isn't ideal for a running back in the NFL. Although the cap hit would be just over $3 million, the Falcons would only receive $750,000 in dead cap. Letting Davis go isn't a bad scenario, as it wouldn't hurt the team's salary situation all that much.
Furthermore, it allows the Falcons to move on from an inconsistent running back. Moving on from Mike Davis does puts Atlanta in a tough spot, as the backfield becomes extremely thin. For the front office to follow through, they'd have to make sure they have a plan in place. Cordarrelle Patterson is set to hit free agency, so re-signing him could be in play if the team cuts Davis from the roster.
When it comes down to it, the main reason the Falcons may consider cutting Mike Davis is due to his poor performance this last season. He was brought in to be a starter and wasn't able to provide reliable production as he did for the Panthers. It would be a smart move to let him go while the front office searches for his replacement.
If Atlanta opts to go this route, then we should expect to see them select a running back in the early portion of the NFL Draft. We'll see how it all plays out though, as the Falcons have several holes on the roster that needs attention. For that reason, the front office could elect to keep Mike Davis on the team so they can focus on bigger areas of need. Either way, pay attention to Mike Davis, as he could be a surprise-cut candidate in the 2022 offseason.