Atlanta Falcons Offseason WorkBook 2019

Atlanta Falcons

2018 Record: (7-9) 2^nd NFC South

2018 Season Recap:

Offense

Points: 25.9 (10^th)

Yards: 389.1 (6^th)

Pass Yards: 290.8 (4^th)

Rush Yards: 98.3 (27^th)

Defense

Points:  26.4 (25^th)

Yards: 384.5 (28^th)

Pass Yards: 259.6 (27^th)

Rush Yards: 124.9 (25^th)

Heading into the 2018 season, the Atlanta Falcons knew competition would be fierce playing in the NFC South, which at that time could’ve been pegged as the best division in football based on the previous season.

The Falcons under Coach Quinn have built a foundation where this team as a whole are able to compete at the highest levels, but unfortunately continue to underachieve post their Super Bowl appearance. A plethora of issues for the 2018 edition of the Atlanta Falcons led to the utter demise of the season, which started with play calling, execution, and of course devastating injuries.

The season wasn’t even a few weeks old when Atlanta lost their heart and soul on defense when Keanu Neal and Deion Jones were both placed on injured reserve. The defense never recovered from those losses which essentially amounted to become a bottom feeder unit. As issues continued to compound, the Falcons also lost their star running back Devonta Freeman in week one to an injury, only to see him return for a handful of snaps in week five, then ultimately being placed on injured reserve in mid-October.

Even as the Falcons medical room began to fill up, Coach Quinn tried his best to encourage his troops to carry on. However, that killer instinct on this club was clearly not present leaving the Falcons to start the season with a 1-4 record and a return to the postseason looking grim. After coming back to win 3 straight to even out their record, the wheels completely fell off as the Falcon faithful had to endure watching their team drop the next 5 contests eliminating them from playoff contention.

Clearly 2018 wasn’t the best version of the dirty-bird, but large positives did transpire which could be seen as building blocks for next season.    

2019 Offseason WorkBook:

The Coaching Staff

When a team is just three years removed from reaching the Super Bowl, expectations naturally rise in terms of consistency leaving management expecting quick answers when things go astray. The Falcons brain trust gave a speedy vow of confidence for the return of their head coach to remain as the sideline boss for the 2019 campaign, which in our eyes is a sound decision.    

It’s been our contention in the past regarding the issues on offense, that removing Steve Sarkisian as offensive coordinator was a top priority. With that now a concluded formality, Atlanta should be able to correct the inadequacies even though Sarkisian did show improvement in year two. Signing Dirk Koetter to run this high octane unit should be a welcomed sight to all involved. Dirk magically orchestrated one of the league’s best offensive clubs last season with a mix of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston behind center and having no viable run attack. Looking at the prospects Koetter has now at his disposal, the potential from Matt Ryan and company to excel once again is on tap.          

Offensive coordinator wasn’t the only shake up this group witnessed as Dan Quinn revamped many aspects to this staff to include great experience in hiring Mike Mularkey and Ben Kotwica. Adding to that, having seen enough on defense (which is his specialty), Quinn also relieved last year’s defensive coordinator to now handle that responsibility himself. Adding other specialty coaches to assist in the process also transpired to give Atlanta a group which should be better prepared for the rigors of the NFL season.     

The Offense

The Atlanta offense has been able to generate very solid production these last few seasons due in part to the play of their sound offensive line. Center Alex Mack has been a revelation for this group being the anchor to bring it all together keeping Matt Ryan off the turf and allowing the run game to gain traction.

When we think of the Falcons, we think of super star Julio Jones as the key cog to this offense. This past season saw an uptick in performance to near career highs as Julio was able to get back over the 100 reception mark (113) and lead the league in receiving yards (1677). It’s no coincidence that Jones found his way back to dominance now that Atlanta employs Calvin Ridley, a special player that was able to draw coverage over to his side, leaving Julio to see more single coverage opportunities.

The run game took a side step this past season and should lose original draft selection Tevin Coleman to free agency now that Ito Smith proved he could play the secondary role to perfection. Atlanta should get back on track on the ground provided that their star Devonta Freeman can regain full health this offseason.

Seeing yet another change over to the offensive system, history hasn’t been kind to Matt Ryan in these situations as large growing pains seem to dictate terms. It appears during the offensive installation in season one, Ryan tends to struggle to understand the entire playbook until about mid-season. We will be watching the Falcons closely this offseason to see how quick they can come together in this new scheme.

The Defense

As mentioned above, losing both Neal and Jones was catastrophic for this defense as they took a giant leap in the wrong direction in 2018. Coach Quinn may see his coaching seat become a little warmer this season if he isn’t able to correct the inadequacies on this side of the ball which is his forte.

The Falcons do possess a good level of talent on this side of the ball, and will surely look to improve in many facets. The defensive line is one area that could use more talent alone with providing help to the line backing core. Generating more pressure on the quarterback will be paramount this season as the Falcons were only able to produce a moderate 37 take-downs on the season. While Takkarist McKinley showed solid progression racking up 7 sacks, his teammate Vic Beasley has been a shade of his former self securing a mere 5 sacks in consecutive campaigns after proving he could run with the league’s best back in 2016 with 15.5 sacks.

When reviewing the secondary, we fully understand the limitations of this group when Neal isn’t on the field. When he is, this group looks like a dominating bunch that can lock-down some of the best in the business. Desmond Trufant is a great player that should again challenge opposing number one receivers, but adding depth to a group that wasn’t able to cut it down the stretch will be very important for this 2019 version.       

All-in-all, the primary focus for Atlanta this offseason should be on this side of the ball to create a more rounded club that could once again challenge for football supremacy.

Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap

The Falcons have wasted no time early this offseason cutting bait with players they feel have no value on the team moving forward. Robert Alford, Matt Bryant, and Brooks Reed had their contracts terminated this past week nearly saving 3 million dollars on the books. Both Alford and Reed were able to latch on with the Arizona Cardinals signing on rather quickly.

Outside of those transactions, the Falcons still house a good deal of talented free agents that may be difficult to sign. Starting with their top free agent, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett should be the Falcons top priority but could become a challenge given the amount of money he will fetch. Next up should be impressive line backer Kemal Ishmael, as he proved he could garner a larger role and produce good numbers in the process. Continuing down the priority path, defensive back Brain Poole should get a hard look over to return to the fold given that Alford is no longer with the club, and depth is an important aspect for any team.

Secondary players that have been rather significant to Atlanta over the past few seasons, Guards Andy Levitre and Zane Beadles could be in line for another contract offer along with wide receiver Justin Hardy and defensive end Bruce Irvin.

While these players could be viewed as replaceable, one player that will undoubtedly be playing for a new franchise next season is talented back Tevin Coleman. Atlanta finds themselves in a situation where money is a concern with just over 28 million under the cap, (+$28,659,598). Already paying Freeman a boatload of cash, Coleman based on circumstance will likely not return.

The Falcons could get creative in shedding more salary this offseason, but it will come at the cost of talented players. Vic Beasley is in the 5^th year option of his rookie deal which would pay him a whopping 12.8 million with no dead money attached, he does possess cut appeal. While releasing the potential star would be frowned upon by most, securing nearly 13 million on the books could be something general manger Thomas Dimitroff reviews more than once. Mohamed Sanu is another player that could find his way on the street now that Calvin Ridley has shown a good level of ability, where Sanu carries with him a 7.4 million cap hit for 2019. While cost savings would amount to 2.8 million in dead money if Sanu was released, it is another option that may transpire.

The NFL Draft

Heading into the 2019 NFL draft, Atlanta holds all seven of their selections to date while picking 14^th overall in the first round.

While Thomas Dimitroff has typically favored using his picks to add more offensive prowess, this might be the year he’s convinced to employ a more defensive heavy draft class to not waste the remaining years of his star talent. Providing support to Matt Ryan and Julio Jones on the defensive side should allow for more opportunities during the course of games.

It’s not out of the question to see Atlanta entertain a trade down this year as typically they have made a living in trading up. Offensively the Falcons look quite solid and should focus on improving the defense.