The Atlanta Falcons finished the season 8-9, a disappointing feat after starting the season 6-3. Kirk Cousins went from good to terrible, and it turned out that he suffered an injury late in the second half of the second Saints game, a game that started a terrible streak of touchdown less games with at least one interception.
He had four games in a row with zero touchdowns and five games in a row with one or more interceptions. From Weeks 10 to 15 Cousins had just one touchdown and nine interceptions. The Falcons won one game during that stretch. From 6-3 to 7-7 in a matter of minutes.
The most heinous game was against the Chargers, where Cousins had four interceptions, including the game losing interception with less than a minute to go. His third interception was unacceptable, with Bijan Robinson breaking free wide open in the flat Cousins tried forcing the ball into the back of the endzone and it was picked.
It was clear after the pick-six Kirk threw earlier that game that he was getting no zip on the ball, so after this interception Raheem Morris should have benched him and seen what rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr could do. He did not and Cousins went on to lose the game.
Raheem Morris had some baffling decision making this season; the most notable of which was his poor clock management during the Commanders game. After a big Darnell Mooney catch to set up the Falcons at midfield with 35 seconds to go, Morris refused to call a timeout despite having two in his pocket.
The Falcons went on to settle for a 56-yard field goal and missed it, and then lost the game in overtime. The very next week he did not go for two after the game tying touchdown, despite his team giving up 38 points to the anemic Panthers and they again lost in OT.
However, in the NFL report cards that came out this off-season, Raheem Morris was given an A+ grade. These report cards are voted on by the players, so it is obvious that Morris is a good player’s coach. It did seem early in the year that there was a new culture in Atlanta, something that had been lacking during Arthur Smith’s tenure and honestly since the Super Bowl year in 2016 when Dan Quinn had his “fast and physical” mantra.
There is a lot to say about Kyle Pitts. He had a career high five touchdowns, but 60 fewer yards than last season despite upgrades at QB. Kirk Cousins was not good to end the year, but he was better than Desmond Ridder. From weeks 5-8 Pitts compiled 314 yards and two touchdowns. He did not have less than 65 yards in any of those games. However, in the final nine games of the season, he had just 188 yards and one touchdown.
The issue seems to be a mix of injuries and effort. Kyle Pitts bobbled an easy catch against the Giants straight into the defenders’ hands. Against the Vikings he dropped an easy catch that Kirk Cousins put right in his hands. Against the Panthers in week six, Cousins threw Pitts a jump ball and he did not even attempt to go for it.
QB school did a breakdown on Ridder last season, and during it he talked about how it looked like when Pitts was running his routes he could not plant and cut as explosively as before, and would run more rounded out routes as opposed to explosive ones. Part of the issue is definitely the injury he faced during his second season in the league.
With the Falcons holding just four picks in this draft, Atlanta should be looking to move Pitts if possible. Teams like the Bengals and Broncos desperately need tight ends, and with Denver looking to stockpile weapons for second-year QB Bo Nix they could pay at a slight premium. If Atlanta can get a second or third round pick they should pull the trigger.
The Falcons desperately need pass rushing help and cornerback help. Atlanta had just 10 sacks in the first 11 games of the season, a historically terrible season. They came alive after the bye and registered 20 sacks in the final six games of the season, however, this pace is unsustainable.
The Falcons need to do something to address the defensive trenches, but it may not be possible in free agency. Myles Garrett did request a trade, however, he asked to go to a contender, which unfortunately the Falcons are not.
Prior to Kirk Cousins revealing he was injured, there was speculation that the Falcons could get a trade done around Cousins and a plethora of picks. Garrett seems almost unattainable now, but if the Falcons could land him he’d be a great fit to mentor the young pass rushers such as Arnold Ebiketie and Bralen Trice.
The Eagles are going to cut Darius Slay, and he could be a nice cheap veteran pickup for the Falcons. Dee Alford, who started last year, was the most targeted CB in the NFL last year, a stat one does not want to see. Slay graded poorly by PFF (a 67.6 grade which was 69th out of all CBs) but he did have 12 PBU’s which was fourth amongst all CBs.
Dj Reed is a free agent this year, and with Jeff Ulbrich now back in Atlanta as defensive coordinator he is a viable option. Reed had a 70.7 PFF grade (43rd among all CBs) and gave up 30 or less yards in nine of his 17 games last season. He would be a great fit at CB2 alongside AJ Terrell.
As stated previously, the Falcons desperately need to address pass rush, which is good because this draft has some great pass rushing talent. What sucks is that Malaki Starks, star safety from Georgia and arguably the best safety in the draft, said he grew up a Falcons fan and would have been a perfect fit next to Jessie Bates. Unfortunately, the Falcons cannot justify taking Starks with the current state of their pass-rush.
The Georgia boys: Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker are both great players, and bring different skill sets. Williams is a great run stopper and Walker is the better pass-rusher. However, Walker can play both inside and outside linebacker, which is where the appeal lies.
Mike Green and James Pearce Jr are great in their own right as players, but both have serious off-field concerns. It has come to light that Green has SA allegations and Pearce is dropping on draft boards because of character concerns.
As a prospect, Green is a better pass rusher than both Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker, however, due to these allegations, the Falcons will most likely pass on him. Pearce is a project pass-rusher reminiscent of a Vic Beasely, who the Falcons should pass on as they are not good at developing edges.
Abdul Carter is the clear best pass rusher in this draft who many were saying would go second overall to the Browns. However, it recently came out that Carter is injured. There is almost zero chance he falls out of the top ten, but if he somehow falls to the Falcons pick at 15, Terry needs to sprint to the podium.
The corners in this class also look amazing and are killing it at the combine. If the Falcons don’t get a viable CB in free agency, they should take one with their second pick. Jahdae Barron, Nick Emmanwori, and Trey Amos are players the Falcons should target at 46 if they are available.
Players the Falcons should cut are: Dee Alford, Justin Simmons, and Matthew Judon. If Judon takes a very cheap deal, he can stay, but the rest of the two need to be one. Simmons was a terrible tackler, constantly getting burnt (he got burnt by Marquez Valdez Scantling), and only had two interceptions after being touted as a “ball-hawk”.
Alford had a 58.2 PFF grade (138th out of Corners), allowed 76 receptions (3rd most amongst CBs), and gave up a 119.2 passer rating. He gave up 706 yards on the season and allowed 50+ yards seven times last season. He needs to be the first player cut by Atlanta this offseason.
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