Falcons free agency grade: What does Charles Godfrey's signing tell us?

The Falcons re-signed Charles Godfrey yesterday, and if you ignore all the context around the signing, it's solid. Godfrey is cheap, he has a history of success in the league, and it's just a one year deal for him. Nothing objectionable here!

The problem, of course, is that we don't know the Falcons' plan at safety. Godfrey may be a veteran depth signing with another free agent like Reggie Nelson on the way. He may be a stopgap starter, riding out a year while Robenson Therezie and Kemal Ishmael marinate behind him on the depth chart. Or he may just be here until the Falcons draft a safety in April, for all intents and purposes. It's maddening, frankly, not to know.

It's maddening because the Falcons may be heavily reliant on two young safeties and a veteran who bounced on and off the roster at a critical position, in an offseason where they've thus far done relatively little to address the pass rush or linebacker. It's only mid-March and you can expect the Falcons to do more, but they have relatively limited cap space at this point and only five selections in April, so taking real improvement for granted is probably not a wise decision.

Ultimately, a Godfrey signing is perfectly fine, but only if it doesn't mean the Falcons are closing up shop at safety and anointing him a starter heading into 2016. That would be a decision that would erode the fanbase's already shaky faith in the team's brain trust, especially heading into a make-or-break season that could see Thomas Dimitroff fired if the Falcons can't take a step forward against a (on paper) tough schedule. Give it until the draft to see what Atlanta does, and then we can light the torches if this is the only plan they've got.

Grade: INC