The Falcons didn’t do much to improve the defense this offseason. They replaced “average for average” in free agency, as one NFL executive put it.
Drew Dalman, Grady Jarrett, Justin Simmons, and Matthew Judon left the team for one reason or another. In their place, the Falcons added Ryan Nuezil, Morgan Fox, Jordan Fuller, and Leonard Floyd.
It was quite uninspiring. Simply put, the Falcons improvement from a year ago rests on the internal development of past draft picks. The Athletic believes the current roster is below league average, ranking it the 18th best ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, with much of Atlanta’s success depending on Michael Penix Jr.
“Much of Atlanta’s success will depend on the development of second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. While he looked solid in limited action last year, the jury is still out. The rest of the offense, however, is in good shape. The area in desperate need of improvement is the defense. Atlanta has just one group that ranks above average (safeties) and three that rank in the bottom third of the league (edge, interior defensive line and linebacker). Coach Raheem Morris needs to solidify his defense if the Falcons plan on contending anytime soon.”
It’s not exactly groundbreaking analysis to say the Falcons’ 2025 campaign rests on the left shoulder of Michael Penix Jr. If the 2024 8th overall pick quickly assimilates to the NFL, as Jayden Daniels did with the Commanders, Atlanta will surely be back in the playoffs.
The NFC South is still one of the worst divisions in football, and the Falcons nearly won it last year with a stretch of play where Kirk Cousins threw one touchdown and nine interceptions, accumulating a 1-5 record.
Hell, even after benching Cousins, the Falcons still nearly won the division with Penix. If it hadn’t been for some boneheaded clock management from Raheem Morris, that Commanders game could’ve ended much differently.
The Falcons might need Michael Penix Jr. to cover up some of this roster’s deficiencies, but hopefully, Terry Fontenot helps out his young signal caller by nailing the 2025 draft.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
