The Falcoholic

Photo by Michael Reaves/ After a wave of signings, oddsmakers still like the Saints to win the NFC South. The Falcons have made some concrete improvements to their team in free agency, adding one of the better safeties in football and talent up front on their defense in the form of a pair of former Saints who totaled 12 sacks a year ago. We’re a long way from being done with free agency and the NFL Draft has yet to arrive, but what have those additions done to improve the national perception of the Falcons? If you guessed “not much,” you’d be correct. The...

Photo by Chris Graythen/ Atlanta’s putting together a team. The Atlanta Falcons were expected to spend this March, and they have. The team entered free agency with about $63 million in cap space and are sitting here a week-and-a-half later with just over $20 million in remaining space and have signed or re-signed 15 players since shortly before free agency opened. It’s a better football team on paper than it was at the end of last year, as low of a bar as that is, and the team is likely to sign a handful of players before they hit the 2023 NFL Draft. Given that the...

Photo by Stacy Revere/ Terry Fontenot has made some things happen so far in free agency, and Falcons fans are generally happy with the results so far. It’s rare to see Falcons fans agree on anything, but we do mostly seem to agree that the Falcons have done a decent job plugging holes during free agency without breaking the bank. Look no farther than the quote tweets and replies to ESPN’s Seth Walder here. The Falcons have had a pretty rough offseason so far, imo.-Overpaid Lindstrom-Brought back McGary despite pass pro struggles-Overpaid Onyemata-Paid sticker...

Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/ Here are the key dates for the Falcons’ nine-week voluntary offseason program. The 2023 league year is underway, and on Friday, the NFL has announced the dates for all 32 teams’ offseason workout programs. The offseason program includes voluntary workouts and OTAs (organized team activities), as well as a mandatory minicamp in June. The kickoff date for the Falcons’ offseason program is Apr. 17, 2023, and the entire program spans nine weeks and is split into three phases. Phase 2 is the first two weeks, which will consist of...

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via With the first wave of NFL free agency in the books, how has the Falcons draft strategy changed? We take a look at a potential 7-round mock draft scenario for Atlanta in the 2023 NFL Draft. The 2023 NFL Draft is getting closer and closer, with the most of the major pre-draft events behind us—including the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. We’ve still got Pro Days and official visits trickling in, but evaluations are nearly complete. The next biggest factor in the pre-draft process is NFL free agency, where teams can often address...

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Atlanta’s ability to win in the trenches will be pivotal in 2023 and beyond. The Atlanta Falcons offensive line proved steady in 2022 after years of instability. Thus it became a priority for Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot to maintain that stability heading into 2023. That mission was accomplished last week when the team successfully re-signed starting right tackle Kaleb McGary to a new three-year deal, a move that came only days after making right guard Chris Lindstrom the highest-paid guard in the...

Photo by Steph Chambers/ Ifedi will presumably back up Kaleb McGary and perhaps Chris Lindstrom again. Last summer, it was assumed Germain Ifedi would push Kaleb McGary for the starting right tackle job, but McGary held on to the gig and wound up starting all 17 games. With McGary back on a multi-year deal, it was fair to wonder whether his backup would return. Now we know: Ifedi’s coming back, signing another one-year deal. He’ll be McGary’s backup and will be in the mix if the Falcons need someone to step in at right guard, as well, as he’s played both...

Host Kevin Knight is joined by Eric Robinson (ESPN) to continue the discussion on the Falcons extremely active start to NFL free agency with a recap of some of the most recent moves and a look at the team’s remaining needs heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to episode 234 of The Falcoholic Live! Host Kevin Knight is joined by Eric Robinson (ESPN) to continue the discussion on the Atlanta Falcons extremely active start to NFL free agency with a recap of some of the most recent moves and a look at the team’s remaining needs heading into the 2023 NFL...

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith were finally able to pursue the top free agents to rebuild the roster after two long years of financial restrictions. Inheriting an organizational mess to the extent of the one the Falcons were in three years ago was always going to be difficult for Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith. After multiple years of trying to convince themselves they could contend in 2019 and 2020, the franchise needed a full reset after failing abysmally in both seasons. Enough was enough attempting to convince themselves they could...

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/ The Falcons had some money to play with this offseason. How would you grade the players they brought in through free agency? Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Atlanta Falcons fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. As a Falcons fan, I’m used to being mildly annoyed during the early wave of free agency, because in recent years, the Falcons have been broke and have shied away from big moves to acquire...

Photo by Greg Fiume/ Atlanta has vowed to get better in the trenches, and for once, they seem to mean it. The Falcons added David Onyemata to their defensive line, and I think we all figured that would be the big free agent addition of the offseason. It appears Atlanta may have at least one more big move in store as they attempt to bolster the line, though, because they’re hosting the great Calais Campbell for a free agent visit. Campbell will be 37 years old in September, but he’s still got it, having piled up 5.5 sacks last year for the Ravens and having forced...

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/ The veteran abruptly retired before the 2022 season, but it appears he may be back. Eddie Goldman was a well-received free agent signing for about two weeks last July, as he figured to bolster a Falcons defensive line that needed the help. Unfortunately for the Falcons, he retired later that month, and the Falcons wound up putting their defensive tackle group together with duct tape in 2022 after Vincent Taylor was hurt. We wished him well with his retirement, but it appears that wasn’t the end of the story. Fast forward to March 2023 and...

Photo by Cooper Neill/ Olamide Zaccheaus and Rashaan Evans highlight the list of available players from the 2022 squad. The Falcons have elected to lock up a fair number of their own free agents. With new deals for right tackle Kaleb McGary, punter Bradley Pinion, outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter, and fullback Keith Smith among the re-signings, the Falcons clearly believe some key contributors for 2022 can be factors on an improved 2023 squad. That said, there are still several free agents the Falcons have not re-signed who also haven’t landed with other teams. With...

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/ There are too many red flags surrounding the UGA prospect. General manager Terry Fontenot has been setting his draft board in the last few weeks, thanks in part to the recent completion of the NFL Combine and the start of free agency. The team has hit on multiple needs early in free agency, landing players like Jessie Bates, Jonnu Smith and David Onyemata while retaining both Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary. It has been a good start and helps Fontenot reach his goal of grabbing the best players available in the draft. Hitting needs in free...

Photo by Stephen Maturen/ After a visit earlier in the week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapport reports that veteran cornerback Mike Hughes will sign with the Falcons. The former first-round pick spent last season with the Lions after stints with the Chiefs and Vikings. The Atlanta Falcons have been busy since the start of NFL free agency, making over a dozen moves in the span of a week. Things had started to slow down heading into the weekend, but Terry Fontenot is right back at it. After signing veteran wide receiver Mack Hollins on Sunday, the Falcons are making another...