Grading every NFL team’s 2019 offseason
By Randy Gurzi
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff entered a crucial offseason after a disappointing 2018 campaign. They both knew they needed to make some changes to get better and they’re banking on the offensive line to be where they find their answers.
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After being quiet in free agency, outside of franchise tagging Grady Jarrett, the Falcons went after guard Chris Lindstrom with the 14th pick. They then traded both of their day two picks to get back into the first round for offensive tackle Kaleb McGary. Both players could end up being solid players but the team reached on their picks — especially McGary.
The problem is, they allowed themselves to get desperate. For the past two seasons, they’ve tried to plug people in at right guard and didn’t want to admit there were problems at tackle. It may have fixed some of their issues, but Atlanta could have made a bigger splash had they not waited so long to admit there was an issue.
On top of this, they let Tevin Coleman leave in free agency after a career year and kept Devonta Freeman on a massive contract after a season in which his bruising style of play started to catch up to him.
Grade: D