On March 7, the Falcons can enter negotiations with impending free agents

Starting on March 7, teams across the NFL can open negotiations with the agents of players who will become free agents as of 4 p.m. on March 10. While unofficial conversations are inevitable, this is the first official chance for teams to make their pitches and get contracts in front of these agents, even if they can't be signed until March 10.

This is a crucial date because the Falcons have such glaring needs, and they have the necessary cap space to backfill some of them before the draft rolls around. With Dan Quinn as the new coach, that cap space and some attractive potential teammates in the form of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Desmond Trufant, this team should be able to land some effective pieces for the next (hopefully) great Falcons squad. If you're looking for a reasonable start date for your ramping up of wild speculation about which free agents will come to Atlanta, you could do worse than March 7.

It would behoove the Falcons to get an early start, and I guarantee you they plan to. Who do you have in mind for free agent targets?