No trades for the Falcons as deadline passes

The 2018 NFL trade deadline came and went without any Falcons deals, which also came as no surprise. At his press conference yesterday, Coach Quinn indicated that Atlanta had no plans to add or subtract personnel via trade before the deadline, and were confident heading into the rest of the season with their existing squad. They signed former 49er Zane Beadles as an extra body on the offensive line, but there were no splashy trades as we reached the deadline.

It’s frustrated and confounded some, but the Falcons’ usual modus operandi around the trade deadline is to hold fast. In a season where the injuries are running like sand through an hourglass, it was a reasonable expectation that Quinn and Dimitroff may want to make some moves to shore up the team going forward. But at the same time, the Falcons are 3-4 and peering up at the 6-1 Saints. There’s a lot of football to be played, but will surrendering draft capital for a piece or two on defense really bridge the cap? If you’re being honest: probably not.

The Falcons appear to feel that way, too.

The good news is that Deion Jones’ return is on the horizon, which will be an obvious, immediate upgrade on the defensive side of the ball. Couple that with the expectation of the offense continuing its stellar work and Atlanta can still weasel into a Wild Card berth. They’re going to need some help along the way, but incredibly hope is still alive for these Falcons.

So they stood firm with their team through the trade deadline and now focus on their Sunday match-up with the Washington Redskins. To keep their postseason aims afloat, they’ll have to treat each individual game ahead of them as an elimination game. As they abstained from any wheeling and dealing on Tuesday, it will be the current players that continue to keep them in the hunt.