Atlanta Falcons 2024 offseason primer

Highlights

• The Falcons 2023 offense featured a great rushing attack and some impressive weapons, but the quarterback position stalled production.
• The team has hired Raheem Morris as the new head coach; his success as a defensive coordinator with the Rams should translate in Atlanta.
• What the Falcons decide to do at QB will be a major domino in determining the rest of their offseason’s path.

In an NFC South that looked lackluster entering the season and maintained that reputation throughout the year, there was hope that the Atlanta Falcons could win the division and make the playoffs with Arthur Smith’s preferred quarterback under center. Instead, the team held the top spot with a losing record until Week 14, at which point the club dropped four of their final five games.

Now, the team has moved on from Smith and hired former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as head coach. With his defensive success and player-first mentality, the hope is that the 47-year-old will find much more success than he did in his original head coaching gig with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which ended 12 seasons ago.

Before kickoff in September, the Falcons have a chance to mold their roster to the staff’s liking in hopes of helping the team take the next step to potentially break into the NFC playoff field. With an offseason filled highlighted by free agency and the NFL Draft, here is how they could do it.

Falcons bright spots of 2023

Run game was phenomenal in Atlanta

Despite the passing game hindering the offense, the run game in Atlanta was impressive. The two-headed monster of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for over 1,600 yards on the ground and helped the Falcons record the ninth-most rushing yards in the NFL.

While WR Drake London didn’t have the best circumstances in a passing offense that lacked complementary weapons, he still overachieved with 69 catches and 905 yards. Assuming the team improves the passing attack in 2024, those numbers should undoubtedly go up.

Additionally, the team’s defense took tremendous strides from 2022, jumping from 27th in yards allowed per game (362.1) to 11th (321.1) this past season.

Falcons areas for improvement

The offense is too talented to stall like it did in 2023

Being ‘a QB away’ can sometimes be a costly mislabel for a team. Still, the Falcons feature a roster with countless promising building blocks that could be pivotal to a team’s success as long as a competent quarterback is under center in Atlanta. However, the needs don’t stop there. The Falcons still have plenty of work to do this offseason to fill out the roster.

Desmond Ridder was given the chance to start in 2023 but ultimately could not hold down the position. Now, the Falcons head into the offseason with quarterback as a top priority for the offense. Additionally, the team should add some wide receiver talent to help flesh out their passing game.

In his rookie season, Matthew Bergeron had his flaws. However, the starting offensive line heading into 2024 is set in stone. Still, the team could use some interior depth to keep the blocking competent if any injuries occur. Having depth can go a long way toward creating sustained success, so expect the Falcons to add some pieces for cheap in free agency or on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

The secondary was impressive in Atlanta last season, and despite coordinator Ryan Nielsen heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the foundation is talented enough that Morris and new DC Jimmy Lake should keep that success going. Figuring out ways to strengthen the front seven and retaining or drafting a new cornerback could help this team continue to build on the progress they showed in 2023.

Pending free agents

Some veterans will hit the open market

This past offseason, the Falcons made a lot of one-year deals to help try and band-aid a roster that didn’t have much cap flexibility. Now, heading into the 2024 free agency period, a new regime is in control of the schemes, and the team has plenty of space to make moves. They’ll look internally first, though, and here are some key names available from the 2023 roster.

Cutting Jonnu Smith seems like both a cost-saving move and a commitment to getting Kyle Pitts more involved in the team’s offense going forward. However, the batch of wide receivers becoming available may be intriguing as options to maintain depth at the position. While an improvement at the WR2 spot will be necessary, bringing back any of the four internal free agents could help the team’s balance.

On the defensive side of things, Atlanta will have some prominent pieces heading toward the open market. Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree led the team in sacks with 6.5 a piece. Additionally, Nathan Landman and Jeff Okudah had impressive seasons, stepping in as starters for the ball club in 2023.

Landman and Albert Huggins are restricted free agents that should be easy to retain. Still, the rest of the group must either be re-signed or replaced with a player of equal quality for the defense to remain effective in 2024.

Free agency targets

The team needs a quarterback, but the question is who?

General manager Terry Fontenot made some big splashes in free agency last offseason, signing Bates and Onyemata to big contracts. With another year on a big budget, expect the Falcons to be scouring the market to find the right pieces to continue building out their roster.

Quarterback

The need for someone to help guide this offense under center has been well-documented. For the past two seasons, there has been optimism surrounding the offense, but a lack of efficient passing has hindered the unit’s overall upside. The team will now be aggressive in trying to land the right guy to plug in as the team’s starting quarterback.

On the open market, names like Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield make sense should they become available, with Cousins serving as a dream scenario. However, the team could also look at future free agents such as Russell Wilson, who is expected to be cut, or by trading with the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.

Regardless of method, the team must have someone new under center this season to inspire optimism for the 2024 campaign.

Wide receiver

When discussing what stood out to Raheem Morris about the Falcons roster, his first answer was Drake London. However, behind him, the position is severely lacking, and some additional juice could be used to improve the receiver room. While there are already plenty of playmakers on offense, adding some talent to the group could help open up opportunities for the rest of the lineup and be a nice way to keep defenses off balance.

Headline names such as Mike Evans or a Calvin Ridley reunion likely won’t make much sense for the team’s budget. However, a dependable number two from the deep free agent WR class such as Tyler Boyd, Kendrick Bourne, Odell Beckham Jr., or K.J. Osborn could be a strong ancillary weapon to help take this passing attack to the next level.

Edge rusher

The Falcons recorded just 42 sacks last season (T-21st in the NFL), and with their top two sackers (Dupree and Campbell) hitting free agency, the team is once again left to find players who can step in and produce with the new regime coming in.

The team could look to bolster the position with the eighth pick in the draft. However, there are some intriguing names available on the free agent market who could make an impact for the team and give them more freedom in the draft.

San Francisco 49ers’ Chase Young could make sense, as his run defense issues wouldn’t be as prevalent under Morris. Other options available this offseason include Josh Uche of the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Leonard Floyd, who played for two seasons with Morris in Los Angeles.

2024 draft and salary cap situation

There will be plenty of paths Atlanta can take at No. 8

While there is still some hope that the Falcons can manage to trade their way into the top three for one of the ‘Big 3′ QBs of this class, more likely than not they will have to choose between Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or addressing another position on the roster. Wide receiver and edge rusher make the most sense when stacked up in this class, but with the Falcons’ four picks in the top 100, they’ll have a chance to grab multiple contributors.

If the team opts to address other positions, then keep an eye on prospects such as edge rushers Dallas Turner (Alabama) or Chop Robinson (Penn State), Washington wideout Rome Odunze, or one of the top cornerbacks in this class to be the selection at eight.

The Falcons currently rank 13th in the NFL in cap space with over $41.6 million available, and a chance to restructure plenty of key pieces to double that total if they please.

Atlanta has a few directions they could go this offseason, and it all depends on the immediate success expected from Raheem Morris and the staff. It all starts at quarterback, and once we get clarity there, the overall approach taken this offseason should be easier to forecast. The team will have plenty of options, though; now it’s up to Terry Fontenot and the rest of the front office to decide.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.