It begins. As of right this moment, the NFL is in the 2019-20 league year, and teams are free to sign free agents from other teams. That should kick off a huge flurry of signings, including some we’ve seen rumored already.
Where the Falcons fit into that flurry should be clear soon enough. We’ve seen reports that they’re signing guards Jamon Brown and James Carpenter, but it’ll only become official now. There are two possible routes to watch for from Atlanta here:
· The typical one, where the Falcons swoop in to bag a couple of players they like, then go quiet to work on in-house priorities and wait for the first wave of free agency to settle;
· An atypical one where the Falcons, feeling their wild oats, clear out more space and keep adding to this roster.
Either way, the likelihood that any big names land in Atlanta this spring are vanishingly slim, with only Justin Houston looming as a semi-realistic option. Instead, expect complementary players and a couple of players who will compete to start, probably most notably along the lines. The Falcons are banking on an offense led by Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and a healthy Devonta Freeman, plus a defense under Dan Quinn led by Deion Jones, Keanu Neal, Grady Jarrett and a healthy secondary being enough to carry them back into contention, and the very real holes on this roster are going to be filled in by stopgaps or draft picks. God, I hope that works.
Give us your predictions for Falcons free agent signings, and let’s see what comes.
Rumors & signings
- Ryan Schraeder cut (see our story for more)
Report: Falcons set to release RT Ryan Schraeder https://t.co/iGCcPofn6D
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) March 13, 2019
Current roster
QB Matt Ryan
QB Matt Schaub
QB Kurt Benkert
RB Devonta Freeman
RB Ito Smith
RB Brian Hill
FB Ricky Ortiz
WR Julio Jones
WR Mohamed Sanu
WR Calvin Ridley
WR Russell Gage
WR Christian Blake
WR Devin Gray
TE Austin Hooper
TE Eric Saubert
TE Alex Gray
TE Jaeden Graham
T Jake Matthews
T Ty Sambrailo
T/G Matt Gono
G Wes Schweitzer
G Brandon Fusco
G Sean Harlow
C Alex Mack
DE Takkarist McKinley
DE Vic Beasley
DE Steven Means
DT Grady Jarrett
DT Jack Crawford
DT Deadrin Senat
DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
LB Deion Jones
LB De’Vondre Campbell
LB Foye Oluokun
LB Bruce Carter
LB Duke Riley
LB Jermaine Grace
CB Desmond Trufant
CB Isaiah Oliver
CB/S Damontae Kazee
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
CB Taveze Calhoun
S Keanu Neal
S Ricardo Allen
S Sharrod Neasman
K Giorgio Tavecchio
P Matt Bosher
LS Josh Harris