2014 Season
The Atlanta Falcons had yet another disappointing season in 2014. This one, however, led to the firing of head coach Mike Smith. Only winning six games in the dreadful NFC South is certainly no way to keep a job. While the Falcons obviously have a lot of holes they need to fill, they also showed this season that they have some pretty good pieces already in place.
2015 Free Agents
Osi Umenyiora, Defensive End: Umenyiora might be at the point in his career he’ll be looking to join a team with a shot at the Super Bowl. Atlanta probably doesn’t fit in that category. The Falcons can offer him good money, but in the end Osi will likely be chasing his third ring.
Kroy Biermann, Defensive End: Biermann certainly didn’t have his best season in 2014 and with edge rushers being so plentiful in the 2015 draft, there’s a good chance the Falcons try to bring new blood in at the position. Biermann is also a guy the Falcons drafted but since there’s a new coaching staff that might actually work against him.
Sean Weatherspoon, Outside Linebacker: Weatherspoon has missed 26 games in the past two seasons due to injury. This will certainly play a role in negotiations for a new contract. The Falcons might not want to take another chance on him and let him test the free agency waters.
Matt Bryant, Kicker: As a team, when you have a good kicker you do what it takes to make him stay. According to PFF (subscription) Bryant had the best field goal/extra point grade in the league. His only missed field goals in 2014 were from 50+ yards away.
Corey Peters, Defensive Tackle: Peters was an important part of the defensive line rotation in 2014 and is a stout run defender. He’s spent all four years of his career in Atlanta and will most likely be retained.
Robert McClain, Cornerback: The Atlanta Falcons had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL in 2014 and McClain was the worst on a bad unit. He’s young and has plenty of time in his career to develop, but don’t expect the Falcons to being him back to develop on their dime.
Josh Wilson, Cornerback: Although Wilson didn’t have as bad of a season as McClain did, they’re likely in the same boat. Don’t expect Wilson back in Atlanta for the 2015 season.
Gabe Carimi, Guard: Carimi didn’t have his best season in 2014, especially in pass blocking. He likely won’t demand a lot of money if he hits the open market so look for the Falcons to lock him up because he’s young with potential.
Dwight Lowery, Safety: Lowery was one of the bright spots in this Atlanta secondary. He’s fairly young and I’m sure Atlanta wants to make sure he’s a part of their defense moving forward. He won’t break the bank with this contract but the Falcons will likely pay him a fair amount to stay around.
Eric Weems, Wide Receiver: Weems was signed last offseason to a one-year deal. On offense he didn’t make much of an impact at all but he played very well on special teams. I would expect Weems to be back due to his special teams prowess.
Bear Pascoe, Tight End: Although Pascoe has been around the league a decent amount, he’s a valuable role player. He blocks very well and can make a catch or two when you need him to. At the very least I would expect Pascoe to be brought back to provide training camp competition at the tight end position.
Antone Smith, Running Back: Antone Smith made the most of his limited snaps this past season. However, whether he comes back or not will have a lot to do with which other running backs come back. If he doesn’t get sniffs from other teams he’ll likely come back to compete for a roster spot.
Jacquizz Rodgers, Running Back: Rodgers is in the same situation as Smith. Rodgers got significantly more snaps than Smith in 2014 so if the Falcons decide to bring back only one of these two I would expect it to be Rodgers.
Patrick DiMarco, Fullback: Fullbacks are an endangered species in today’s NFL and can be hard to come by. Even as scarce as they are, the Falcons might be in search for a new one this offseason since DiMarco left a lot to be desired in 2014.
2015 Cap Room: $23,489,444
Five-Biggest Need Areas
Cornerback: As I said before, the Falcons had one of the worst secondaries in the entire league this past season. Besides Desmond Trufant, they need serious improvements everywhere in their secondary.
Linebackers: The Falcons had some awful linebacker play this season. Not only are their starters well below average, but they don’t have any depth at the position either. They need a complete overhaul at the linebacker position.
Wide Receiver: Julio Jones is going to need some help and Roddy White wasn’t able to provide that for him this past season. White is clearly on the decline and after him there really isn’t anyone worth mentioning on their roster at the wide receiver position.
Running Back: Steven Jackson will likely be back next season instead of retiring but even if he does he’s still not close to the running back he use to be. While they have Devonta Freeman on the roster he’s certainly not the bruising back that Jackson is. The Falcons need a power back to compliment Freeman’s style.
Offensive Line: The Falcons’ offensive line needed some serious help in run blocking this past season. They had the fifth worst PFF run blocking grade in the NFL. They need to get some serious beef on the offensive line this offseason.
Potential Offseason Breakout Star
Second year defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman is someone to keep an eye on. This past season he didn’t have the year that a lot of people thought he might but he certainly showed some flashes. I think this offseason he takes the next step in his game and becomes a key player for this defense.
2015 NFL Draft Selections
1st Round (8)
2nd Round (10)
3rd Round (9)
4th Round (8)
5th Round (10)
6th Round (9)
7th Round (8)
7th Round (10)
The Falcons had yet another disappointing season in 2014 but luckily for them they’re in a position to turn things around quickly. For starters, they play in the easiest division in football. Secondly, they have a lot of cap space to work with and a decent amount of draft picks to add young talent. Lastly, they have a new coaching staff coming in. This alone could make an enormous difference. It’s certainly going to be a busy offseason for Atlanta and one that will require a number of difficult decisions.