Could Falcons be buyers and sellers at the trade deadline?

The Falcons are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline, which is less than two weeks away. That much is clear.

Atlanta ranks dead last in the league with six sacks, and their pressure numbers aren’t much better. Thankfully, the Falcons are expected to be in the market for a pass rusher.

“Yes,” Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated responded to a question that the Falcons are indeed in the trade market for a pass rusher. “They like what they’ve gotten in Matthew Judon. They’re very open to adding to what he’s brought to the table.”

It might not be a blockbuster, but the Falcons cannot sit on their hands at this deadline. Shifting gears, is there a possibility the Falcons, like the Jets, could be both buyers and sellers at the trade deadline?

I’d say the chances are slim. Falcons beat writer for ESPN, Marc Raimondi, did have a candidate to potentially dangle on the market, though.

Who could be on the move? Safety Richie Grant. After starting 32 games the past two seasons, he was primed to start again in 2024, alongside Jessie Bates III, until the team traded for Simmons on the eve of the season. Coach Raheem Morris has discussed the desire to get Grant, a 2021 second-round pick, on the field at the same time with Bates and Simmons, which Atlanta has done sparingly. The Falcons likely won’t move him because they could use that depth at safety, but if they were so inclined, he would provide value as a potential starter elsewhere. — Marc Raimondi

There aren’t many positions where the Falcons have a surplus of talent, but safety (I guess) is one. Richie Grant, a former second-round pick, hasn’t materialized as Atlanta had hoped. Still, that doesn’t mean an interested team couldn’t find him attractive. A change of scenery could benefit the UCF product.

Other than safety, running back is a position loaded with talent for the Falcons. Trading Bijan Robinson would be shocking, but I don’t think testing Tyler Allgeier’s market is egregious. He’d easily start on more than half of the teams around the league and could recoup some of the Falcons draft capital lost this offseason due to tampering.

In reality, the duo of Robinson and Allegeier is best kept intact unless some unforeseen player-for-player trade could get Atlanta a pass rusher (unlikely). The Falcons would be better off keeping the former fifth-round pick.

While most Falcons fans expect Terry Fontenot to make a move, is there a scenario where nothing comes to fruition? Dan Graziano from ESPN believes they’ll sit out this trade deadline.

Adding, subtracting or sitting it out? Sitting it out. The Falcons are primed for a run and would look to add, but remember, they already jumped the gun on the trade deadline right before the season with the signing of safety Justin Simmons and the trade for edge rusher Matthew Judon. The Judon trade cost them their 2025 third-round pick, which of course makes it tougher for them to do deals this month. — Graziano

I actually don’t think Graziano is completely off-base here. Breer has confirmed the Falcons are in the market for a pass rusher, but as we’ve seen in the past, Fontenot is susceptible to losing bidding wars. They clearly value their draft picks, even though they’ve shown no ability to consistently draft successfully in Fontenot’s tenure. It’s more likely the Falcons come away from the trade deadline with nothing than a star.

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Photographer: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire