Falcons named free agent fit for former No. 1 pick

The Falcons only have around $4 million in cap space as it stands today, but they have holes on the roster that need to be addressed.

Thankfully, Terry Fontenot has rarely restructured contracts since getting the team out from underneath the Matt Ryan and Julio Jones dead money, so that option is still available to create more cap space.

If the Falcons needed considerable money to acquire a star, they could. Restructuring the contracts of Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom, Grady Jarrett, and Jessie Bates while parting ways with Lorenzo Carter and Mike Hughes would give the Flacons an additional $40+ million in cap space to work with. An A.J. Terrell contract extension could also save the team money this year as well.

Obviously, they probably won’t need all of that, but they will need some because the team has to add to the edge and cornerback rooms. The former is a much more pressing need, in my opinion.

Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, and DeAngelo Malone could arguably be the worst edge unit in the league. The Falcons have to not only add to the group, but they have to acquire a starting-caliber player if they want to make a playoff run with Kirk Cousins.

CBS Sports thinks Atlanta is a free agent fit for a star pass rusher, former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney.

Although Clowney has done most of his work with a hand in the dirt, the veteran journeyman excelled as a stand-up rusher with the stingy Baltimore Ravens in 2023. New Falcons coach Raheem Morris, meanwhile, needs a polished leader for his own rotation now that Atlanta is eyeing a playoff run with Kirk Cousins.

Clowney is coming off one of the best seasons of his career at 31-years-old with the Ravens, one where he notched 43 tackles, nine for a loss, 9.5 sacks, and 19 quarterback hits.

Raheem Morris needs an edge presence on Jimmy Lake’s defense, and the one-year mercenary is a perfect fit. The Falcons could easily fit a $15-ish million deal under their salary cap with a few contract restructures.

Jadeveon Clowney put up more sacks last year than a Falcons player has in what feels like a lifetime.

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Photographer: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire