Atlanta Falcons: Limited Cap Space Hasn’t Stifled Effective Free Agency
By Nafisa H
The Atlanta Falcons aren’t working with a lot of money during NFL free agency, but are counting on their dollars and sense to add up to a Super Bowl ring.
As the familiar expression goes, “You have to spend money to make money.” Success certainly requires investments. However, as the Atlanta Falcons are realizing during 2017 NFL free agency, their tight salary cap space limits the moves they make. But it doesn’t necessarily limit the value of those moves.
Recognizing that their 2016 team was very successful and a championship team (well, nearly one), the Falcons prioritized retaining integral members of The Brotherhood this offseason. The team secured Ryan Schraeder and Robert Alford by handling their contract extensions last season long before free agency.
Then, hours before the new league year began, the team announced contract extensions for veterans Matt Schaub and Courtney Upshaw. After free agency began, the Falcons re-signed LaRoy Reynolds and Levine Toilolo early on before adding Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Kemal Ishmael to the list of returning players.
However, regardless of how many players the Atlanta Falcons keep, the fact of the matter remains that they’re still losing strong veterans. In order for the team to add up to a 53-man roster and have a successful return to a Super Bowl level, it must pick up new players that strengthen the team just as much as the old ones do but at a significantly less price.
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The Falcons commenced free agency by nabbing former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jack Crawford. The move wasn’t the sexiest, but since Crawford is a younger (and more affordable) defensive lineman than Falcons free agents Jonathan Babineaux and Tyson Jackson, it made sense.
Next, the Atlanta Falcons signed former Detroit Lions wide receiver and return specialist Andre Roberts to a one-year, $1.8 million deal, filling the void left by Eric Weems, giving Matt Ryan another weapon on offense, and also boosting their special teams unit. During ongoing free agency, the Falcons continued to make more signings, including adding guard Hugh Thornton along with fullbacks Derrick Coleman and Soma Vainuku to fill the void left by the departing Patrick DiMarco.
All of the number crunching proved effective when the Atlanta Falcons acquired former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Dontari Poe in the team’s biggest and best move of free agency. The Falcons almost missed out on Poe as he visited other teams and reportedly received more lucrative offers from the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the Dirty Birds were able to land him in a move that’s as beneficial to the team’s run defense as it is to Poe.
“More savings. More doing.” It makes complete sense that Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who is also the co-founder of Home Depot, would use the store’s slogan as his team’s motto during NFL free agency as they operated with limited cap space.
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While the Atlanta Falcons have been successful in recent drafts, they stand to gain big by addressing several needs during free agency through acquisitions and trades within their budget, preventing the need of having to build their organization from the ground up when the draft occurs. By considering the numbers and making smart move, the Atlanta Falcons are hoping everything adds up to a huge return with their first Super Bowl ring.