Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Thursday, Feb. 28

Beasley or Bust

We learned Tuesday evening that the Falcons appear primed to bring Vic Beasley back in 2019 at his full $12.8 million price tag. Based on Beasley’s up-and-down play, the bulk of us around these parts anticipated an outright cut or a restructured deal to reflect what he’s put on tape. Seems the team has other ideas, and is banking on Vic Beasley’s physical talent — at the expense of nearly $13 million in available cap space for next season.

Reactions to this news ran the gamut from begrudging, bewildered acceptance to loud noises and pitchforks. The prospect of bringing Beasley back is polarizing in and of itself, but there’s not too much debate about whether he’s shown enough to earn $12.8 million. It’s simply far too much money for a player who’s perfected the disappearing act, so we’re left to try and make as much sense of it as we can.

And that also includes Coach Quinn, who has committed to taking “a more hands on” approach with Beasley.

With Vic Beasley penciled in for 2019, the defensive end position isn’t as thin as it was when it seemed he wouldn’t stick around. Still, an edge defender is one of the Falcons’ top needs in the draft, and with the NFL Combine underway, Kevin Knight has some names that could fit the bill on draft night.

Coleman Headed to Free Agency

On a less surprising note, during his Wednesday media availability Coach Dan Quinn confirmed that the team would let running back Tevin Coleman reach free agency. Impressive rookie Ito Smith will take the reins as the Falcons’ second running back in the upcoming season.

Tevin Coleman has been a dynamic change-of-pace back for the Atlanta Falcons since he was drafted in 2015, and he’s likely to receive a large deal in short order. We’ll certainly miss him in red and black, but if you watched Ito Smith’s rookie campaign, you should feel confident in his ability to fill Coleman’s role.

Sambrailo to Start

It was the subject of some speculation when the Falcons signed him to a three-year deal, but during his Wednesday presser DQ confirmed it: Ty Sambrailo will be the Atlanta Falcons’ starting right tackle in 2019.

It’s not necessarily a surprise considering the investment involved, but did you have Sambrailo jotted down as a starter in the upcoming season? No? Me neither.

We’ll see what the team decides to do regarding Ryan Schraeder going forward, but there’s a strong chance he’s eventually released.

Matty Memories

This week we started looking back at each and every one of Matt Ryan’s seasons. Unquestionably the best quarterback in Atlanta Falcons history, Matt Ryan has put together some spectacular performances over his 11 seasons, and we kicked off this series going over his rookie and sophomore years.