Falcons make first free-agent moves of the offseason by extending two special teamers

It’s February 18th, and we have begun to see some minor free-agent moves, including the first ones by the Falcons. Atlanta announced today they have extended both kicker Younghoe Koo and punter Ryan Allen for one year.

Neither of these is all that surprising. The Falcons didn’t have a kicker under contract going into 2020, and Koo performed exceptionally well after relieving Matt Bryant. In eight games, he made 23 of his 26 field goals with a long of 50 while proving to be an onside kick wizard. Jason Butt of The Athletic reported in late January that the plan was to tender Koo and add some competition to the roster as well. Koo did about as good as one could last season, but after the debacle the Falcons had at the position before his arrival, I wouldn’t blame them for adding another kicker this offseason as insurance.

The extension of Ryan Allen means one thing: Matt Bosher is probably not returning in 2020. The long-time Pro-Bowl punter had quite a career in Atlanta, but the Falcons are searching everywhere to save money, and moving on from their pricey punter makes sense. Allen was fantastic for the Patriots, averaging 45.3 yards per punt over six seasons. The lefty-punter averaged 41.3 yards per punt in eight games with the Falcons last year. Earlier this month, Atlanta agreed to terms with Sam Irwin-Hill. The Australian was an elite punter in college and spent some time last season with the Falcons practice squad. Expect him to push Allen for the job, but it’s undoubtedly Allen’s to lose if Atlanta is done adding punters.