By: Kellen Brechbill
All stats were obtained through Pro Football Reference
March 13th finally came and the Atlanta Falcons wasted no time making a splash in free agency. Signing FS Jessie Bates almost immediately after the free agent period began, GM Terry Fontenot set the tone early. Since then, the Falcons have also signed LB Tae Davis, OLB Kaden Elliss, QB Taylor Heinicke, WR Mack Hollins, CB Mike Hughes and DT David Onyemata. They have also extended RG Chris Lindstrom and RT Kaleb Mcgary, solidifying the right side of their O-line for the foreseeable future. These moves were much needed and added depth to positions that desperately needed it, especially the secondary, D-line and WR groups. The extensions of Lindstrom and Mcgary are just an added bonus that makes the Falcons offensive line a top unit for years to come. If these moves pan out, there’s a great chance that the Falcons could be extremely competitive in 2023. Remember, they still have $22 million in available cap space and the 8th overall pick in this year’s draft. There are going to be even more moves made within the next month by the Atlanta Falcons. But, for now, let’s take a deeper dive into the moves that have been made.
First, and most important, was the signing of FS Jessie Bates. This signing brings an immediate leadership presence to a promising young secondary. In his five year career, Bates has accumulated 14 INT’s, 43 passes defended and 327 tackles. He is one of, if not, the best Free Safety in the NFL. Him and AJ Terrell together give the Falcons a lock down corner and a ball hawking safety that are going to make things very tough for QB’s. The Falcons also still have CB Casey Hayward who played very well last year before getting injured, and safeties Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins who are both young but solid. With the signing of CB Mike Hughes as well, this makes the secondary group deep with a lot of potential. However, none of this matters if the QB has all day to throw the ball.
Which leads me to my next point, the underrated signings of OLB Kaden Ellis and DT David Onyemata. Both these guys are very productive players and are going to make a difference on the D-line. Last season Ellis only played in 11 games and recorded seven sacks and 78 tackles. Those are extremely productive stats considering the amount of games he played. Onyemata also had a very productive year for a DT as he recorded five sacks and 43 tackles. Now, these stats may not jump off the page, but these signings add extremely productive depth to a group that desperately needs it. Remember, this is a group that has historically been below average for the Atlanta Falcons. Outside of Grady Jarrett, the production takes a huge drop. Last year Lorenzo Carter had four sacks and Arnold Ebiketie had 2.5 sacks, and that’s basically it. There was nobody else outside of Jarrett, Carter, and Ebiketie who recorded more than two sacks last season. You can’t win in this league if you can’t effectively pressure the QB.
But, there is promise for this group. Ebiketie was a rookie last year and will continue to improve, Grady Jarrett is still an elite DT in this league, and Lorenzo Carter is a good player as well. The signings of Kaden Ellis and David Onyemata add more threats to this group and will create even more opportunities for the other guys as a result. Because of that, I believe that this group will take a big step forward in 2023.
As for the other players signed, these moves were made mostly for added depth. With Marcus Mariotta departing it was imperative that the Falcons go out and grab another QB to back up and compete with Desmond Ridder. The signing of Taylor Heinicke brings a veteran presence to a very inexperienced QB room and allows for the Falcons to be more flexible in who they choose to play. When it’s all said and done I believe Ridder will start but you never really know until training camp begins, this move at least gives the Falcons options.
Similarly to the Heinicke move, was the signing of WR Mack Hollins. This move adds productive depth to an extremely thin and inexperienced WR group. In 2022, Hollins had a career high 690 receiving yards and four TD’s for the Raiders. The stats are solid, but not enough to make a difference. This is a group that desperately needs more production. At the moment, the Falcons only have two WR’s on the roster that had more than one catch last season. That being Drake London and now Mack Hollins. I would say this group worries me the most right now and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Falcons drafted multiple WR’s in this year’s draft. The good thing about WR’s is that they can be very productive right out of college, so this could be a position that Fontenot targets heavily through the draft.
As for LB Tae Davis and CB Mike Hughes, these guys are most likely going to fill into second and third string roles. Neither guy started more than six games last year and don’t have many stats to show for. Mike Hughes will probably see a lot of reps because of how thin the CB group is but, in general, I think these signings were made to add more overall depth to the defense.
It will be interesting to see how the Falcons perform next season with the new additions. I still think they’re a few pieces away from being legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but I truly believe that they can win the NFC South next season with the team they’ve assembled. If the D-line takes a step forward next season and the secondary holds it down on their end, this could be an extremely tough defense to play. Combined with their nasty run game, I think Atlanta can really surprise people next season by making an unexpected playoff run. I still think they’re one good WR and pass rusher away from being actual contenders, but there’s no doubt that this team will be very competitive in 2023.
Write Between the Lines 