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It’s Monday and we’ve got some dang links to start your week.
Falcons restructure Deion Jones’ contract
Still in desperate need of cap space, the Atlanta Falcons have restructured linebacker Deion Jones’ contract. The move deferred $4 million of Jones’ salary until 2022 — now fully guaranteed — which freed up that amount for the coming season. Chances are that it will go to a free agent, because those savings alone aren’t even projected to be enough to sign this year’s draft class.
Draft happenings
Draft night expectations took an early turn last week with the 49ers hopping in front of the Falcons in a trade with the Dolphins. It’s highly likely that San Francisco is targeting a quarterback here, which makes a trade down for the Falcons look more realistic as there will probably be a three QB run at the top of the order.
But with all the drama surrounding the Falcons — and the new drama surrounding the draft — it’s a great year for Atlanta to possess a high draft pick.
Scouting report: Najee Harris
Our Ev Glaze dropped his latest scouting report on one of the top running backs in the entire draft field, Alabama’s Najee Harris. He’s a power back in the Derrick Henry mold — a comp that new head coach Arthur Smith is certainly familiar with.
Podcast and Falcoholic Live
The podcast and Falcoholic Live crew never sleep, so they’ve got some new content for you. On the latest episode of The Falcoholic Podcast, David Walker, Jeanna Kelley, and Kevin Knight discussed the Falcons’ moves in free agency.
On The Falcoholic Live, the main topic at hand was the blockbuster trade between Miami and San Francisco and how it impacts Atlanta’s plans on draft day.
Draft needs: Offensive line
The Falcons were rumored to be in on center David Andrews before he re-signed with New England, leaving Atlanta with a massive question mark in the middle of their offensive line. With that current reality, addressing the offensive line is teetering on priority status in the 2021 NFL Draft.
An end to the NFL’s one-helmet rule?
NFL teams have been required to only sport one helmet since 2013, but there’s been a growing call to eliminate that rule to permit franchises to add some variance to their headgear.