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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
A year ago, the Atlanta Falcons were among the NFL’s biggest spenders in free agency, taking advantage of ample salary-cap space and upgrading their defense with safety Jessie Bates, defensive lineman Calais Campbell and linebacker Kaden Elliss, among others.
The net result was still a 7-10 record for a third year in a row, which is why Arthur Smith was fired and Raheem Morris hired as the new head coach, with the hopes of ending Atlanta’s run of six straight losing seasons.
The biggest question for Morris will be whether he can find an upgrade at quarterback, the most obvious hole on a talented roster in a position to compete for the NFC South title. The Falcons are in the middle of the pack with about $25 million in cap space, with an easy path to double that with simple restructures on long-term contracts for players with high 2024 base salaries.
Atlanta has the No. 8 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, likely out of range to land one of what are perceived as the top three quarterbacks in this class — USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. They’re likely gone in the top four or five picks, which means the Falcons would be left with a prospect like Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, or they’d have to put together a package of draft picks to move up, as Carolina did last year to get Alabama’s Bryce Young. A major move to trade into the top two would cost this and next year’s first-round picks and then some, but if one of the top three were to fall to say, 5th, the Falcons could potentially move up by dealing this year’s top two picks, a reasonable price.
If they went the veteran route, one big name would be Russell Wilson, who is expected to be released by Denver. Offset money in his contract means he might sign for the league minimum of $1.2 million — anything more would come out of what he’s already getting from the Broncos — so he could just pick…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/falcons-offseason-preview-upgrading-qb-top-priority-for-raheem-morris
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Publish date : 2024-02-14 18:56:55
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