As it stands right now, the NFL salary cap is expected to be $208.2 million for the 2022 season. Over The Cap has the Falcons at a projected $12.52 million in available cap space with only 29 players on the active roster. This means that the Atlanta front office will have many decisions ahead of them this offseason. Terry Fontenot could potentially trade Calvin Ridley after being forced to deal Julio Jones last offseason, but he’ll also have to decide whether or not to bring back impending free agents like Cordarrelle Patterson, Foye Oluokun, and Younghoe Koo.
Regardless, the Falcons will certainly have to generate some cap space. Matt Ryan and Jake Matthews are candidates to have their contracts restructured. Grady Jarrett is in the final year of his contract, so an extension is within the realm of possibilities to lessen his 2022 cap hit. But what about cut candidates?
All figures are via Over the Cap. For these specific players, their Dead Cap and Cap Savings values happen to be the same regardless of whether the cut occurs before or after June 1st; note that this is not always the case.Â
RB Mike Davis
Davis had the worst season of his career in 2021, but it wasn’t that bad. He’s on a reasonable deal; however, if Fontenot elects to bring Patterson back on a new contract, Davis immediately becomes a potential cap casualty. Atlanta could look to draft a running back, but Qadree Ollison is a less expensive option in the backfield.
Dead Cap: $750k
Cap Savings: $2.5 million
DL Tyeler Davison
Davison was cut last offseason, but Atlanta decided to bring him back on a cheaper deal. He was a healthy scratch several times this season, so I wouldn’t be shocked if Fontenot chose to move on from Davison during the offseason.
Dead Cap: $1.21 million
Cap Savings: $3.7 million
EDGE John Cominsky
Cominsky flashed this season, but he never found a consistent role. With the Falcons’ pash rush being one of the worst units in the league, that should tell you how the coaching staff felt about Cominsky. However, cutting him would lead to minimal cap savings, so the Falcons might choose to keep him given his familiarity with Dean Pees’ scheme.
Dead Cap: $122k
Cap Savings: $965k
CB Kendall Sheffield
Sheffield found himself on this same list last offseason, but the Falcons decided to retain him. Sheffield dealt with injuries for much of the year, so we never really saw what he could do in Pees’ defense. The front office’s evaluation of Sheffield, based on practice and limited regular-season snaps, will be critical in determining his future with the team.
Dead Cap: $189.9k
Cap Savings: $2.54 million
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