NFL Free Agency 2020: One player every team should let walk

Atlanta Falcons – TE Austin Hooper

Austin Hooper may be a hot commodity on the free agent market, but the Falcons shouldn’t spend valuable cap room to keep in Atlanta. While Hooper is a solid tight end who acted as a safety blanket for Matt Ryan in 2019, the Falcons don’t have the ability or dire need to retain him.

Atlanta is currently in one of the worst cap positions in the league, with approximately $4 million available in cap space. Yet, they have several necessary defensive pieces that are set to hit the market, such as Adrian Clayborn, Vic Beasley, and Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

The Falcons need to focus their offseason efforts more on the defensive side of the ball and the offensive line than they do receiving weapons, as they ranked 22nd in pass yards allowed, 15th in rush yards allowed, 29th in defensive sacks, and 28th in sacks allowed.

The Falcons can’t waste precious cap space on an additional receiving weapon when they already field standout wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. They are better off letting Hooper walk in free agency and shoring up the weaker areas of their team.