3 positions the Falcons may still add veterans to over the summer

Those who are underwhelmed by the Falcons 2019 draft class—and judging by your responses, that is a fair number of people—might wonder if the Falcons are really going to go into the year without major additions to positions we identified as needs in the lead-up to the draft. The answer to that? A resounding probably not.

Consider that the Falcons, who are notoriously tight on cap space at the moment, have opportunities to free up plenty in the coming weeks and months if a handful of things work out for them. Here’s a short list of those moves:

With that in mind, what positions are most likely to see veteran additions between now and the start of the season?

Defensive End

A grouping of Takk McKinley, Vic Beasley, Adrian Clayborn, and Steven Means would be a fine one if Takk and Vic take steps forward, and the addition of John Cominsky as at least a part-time end helps. But barring that drastic improvement from Takk and Vic we mentioned earlier, the team is weak off the edge, and there at least interesting options at end out there for the team to consider. It’ll be dependent on what they see over the summer, but if the Julio and Jarrett extensions get done and there’s any shakiness with what the team currently has, an addition is logical and probably inevitable.

Center

This one is based on my current view of the roster, which appears to have exactly one true center (thankfully, that’s Alex Mack) and one guy with any real experience at center (Adam Gettis). This team figures to have Ty Sambrailo, James Carpenter/Jamon Brown and Wes Schweitzer as three of its core backups, but if they carry a ninth guy he probably has to play center, given the dearth of options on the roster today.

It would not be shocking to see the Falcons snap up one of the few remaining players out there with starting experience at center if Schweitzer, Gettis, or perhaps Sean Harlow don’t stand out.

Linebacker

The Falcons have been rumored to have interest in draft-eligible linebackers the last two offseason but have only come away with Foye Oluokun. I don’t have any particular problems with the team relying on Oluokun—he showed more than enough a year ago to get a shot—but it’s worth noting that the Falcons have several veteran options for depth and none of them are necessarily written down to make this roster and/or contribute in pen.

It’s certainly stronger top-to-bottom than the two positions above, but Dan Quinn’s an inveterate tinkerer, and if any solid players become available this one may happen.

What positions will you be looking at?