11:22 PM EDT, Mon March 18, 2024
10 hours ago
Falcons sign Kirk Cousins and reshape offense in free agency

Falcons sign Kirk Cousins and reshape offense in free agency

Photo by Ryan Kang/ The Falcons were busy reshaping their offense in the first wave of free agency, signing QB Kirk Cousins, WR Darnell Mooney, and trading QB Desmond Ridder for WR Rondale Moore. Host Kevin Knight is here to break down the first wave of moves. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast! The Atlanta Falcons were busy reshaping their offense in the first wave of free agency, signing quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney, and trading quarterback Desmond Ridder for wide receiver Rondale Moore. Host...
15 hours ago
Falcons now must decide what the future looks like at quarterback

Falcons now must decide what the future looks like at quarterback

Photo by Justin Casterline/ Atlanta’s set for the short-term, but the importance of having a succession plan is difficult to overstate. The Atlanta Falcons have accounted for the present. For the first time since shipping Matt Ryan out of town—and arguably before then, depending on how much you think Ryan had declined before he left—the Falcons have a solidly above-average player at quarterback. The next two-to-three years are set, barring catastrophe, and Kirk Cousins will be under center and hoping to lead a resurgent Falcons offense to greater glory. The...
Mar 17, 2024
How will the Falcons improve the defense?

How will the Falcons improve the defense?

Photo by Kara Durrette/ The team can’t stand pat after a resurgent 2023, so what’s next? The Atlanta Falcons have their special teams group pretty well locked in, at least as far as specialists go, and probably have their offense 85-90% locked in. For a team with a new coaching staff and plenty of question marks this offseason, getting all of that sewn up in the first week of free agency is pretty impressive, and it puts the Falcons in a good position for the season ahead. But because the work is not totally done on offense—they could use improved depth, at the...
Mar 16, 2024
Why Kirk Cousins for the Falcons? Familiarity and fit figure in

Why Kirk Cousins for the Falcons? Familiarity and fit figure in

Photo by Stephen Maturen/ Raheem Morris doesn’t just know Kirk Cousins, he knows what a player like Kirk Cousins can do. When Kirk Cousins began his career, he did so as the backup to Robert Griffin III in Washington. While Raheem Morris was no longer in Washington when Cousins seized the full-time starting job and broke out in 2015, those three years gave Morris a chance to see a young, promising quarterback begin to find his way in the league in relief of Griffin, whose career was ultimately derailed by injury. The next stop for Morris was Atlanta, where he spent...
Mar 15, 2024
Kirk Cousins signing brings Falcons generally good reviews in 2024 NFL free agency

Kirk Cousins signing brings Falcons generally good reviews in 2024 NFL free agency

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports No matter what the national pundits think, it’s hard to be pessimistic about the Falcons’ free agency moves. There’s no trophy for winning the offseason, and opinions about which teams won and lost free agency have zero bearing on how the team will actually perform in 2024. That said, the Falcons have been busy since the legal tampering — whoops, early negotiating period (let’s pump the brakes on tossing around the t-word since the NFL is investigating the Falcons for potential t-wording around the Kirk Cousins signing). The...
Mar 15, 2024
Falcons have limited cap space after first wave of free agency

Falcons have limited cap space after first wave of free agency

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via The Falcons can free up more space fairly easily as they look to address defensive needs. The Atlanta Falcons have been extremely active in the early days of free agency, essentially overhauling their offense in as short a timeframe as possible. That has been great news for the roster and fans who regarded last year’s offensive putridity as...well, offensive. It has been less great news for the team’s cap space. If you ask OvertheCap, the Falcons have just a shade over $4 million in cap space at the moment. With...
Mar 15, 2024
Updating the Falcons offensive roster and depth chart after the first wave of free agency

Updating the Falcons offensive roster and depth chart after the first wave of free agency

Photo by Todd Kirkland/ Atlanta’s offense has been drastically overhauled in just a couple of days. The first flurry of free agent signings are done with, and for the Atlanta Falcons, there has been a pretty striking theme. The team has invested heavily on just one side of the ball to kick things off in free agency, sinking big money and even making a trade to bolster the offense. That makes a lot of sense when you consider the sorry state of the offense in 2023, particularly galling because the team had A) an offensive-minded head coach, B) a pretty good offensive...
Mar 14, 2024
Falcons, Eagles will be investigated for potential tampering in Kirk Cousins, Saquon Barkley deals

Falcons, Eagles will be investigated for potential tampering in Kirk Cousins, Saquon Barkley deals

Photo by Jesse Grant/ for Tostitos This is standard, a source confirmed to Yahoo! Sports. It’s been a very exciting free agency period for the Falcons, but some news broke on Thursday that may take the wind out of their sails a bit. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the NFL is looking into allegations that the Falcons and Eagles both engaged in tampering to secure deals with free agents Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley. Per a league source, the NFL is looking into potential tampering by the Eagles and the Falcons related to the free-agent signings of Saquon...
Mar 14, 2024
Falcons sign veteran returner and receiver Ray-Ray McCloud

Falcons sign veteran returner and receiver Ray-Ray McCloud

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Atlanta brings in a proven returner and speedy receiver as they continue to re-tool the offense. You thought the Atlanta Falcons were done adding to their offense? Think again, because the team is inking veteran returner and receiver Ray-Ray McCloud to a two-year deal. The 27-year-old McCloud had spent the past two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he handled the lion’s share of punt returns and many kick returns, with about a dozen receptions in each of the past two years. Unsurprisingly, given the theme of...
Mar 14, 2024
Falcons land speedy WR Rondale Moore in Desmond Ridder trade

Falcons land speedy WR Rondale Moore in Desmond Ridder trade

Photo by Norm Hall/ Atlanta’s remaking its receiving corps, and it continues with the addition of a young player who fell out of favor in Arizona. It has been a wild afternoon for the Atlanta Falcons, who were reportedly working on a deal to trade quarterback Desmond Ridder that apparently came together very quickly. They’ve shipped Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals, getting back wide receiver Rondale Moore in the exchange. As low-cost swaps go, this will likely prove to be a fruitful one for both teams. Ridder’s 2023 was catastrophic and a new team probably will...
Mar 14, 2024
Falcons trade QB Desmond Ridder to Cardinals

Falcons trade QB Desmond Ridder to Cardinals

Photo by Chris Graythen/ The Falcons are moving on from their 2023 starter, while the Cardinals land their backup for Kyler Murray. The Falcons were not finished shuffling around their quarterback room with just the signing of Kirk Cousins. According to WSB’s Zach Klein, the team was on the verge of trading quarterback Desmond Ridder, who started 13 games and appeared in 15 in 2023, earlier this afternoon and they made a deal quickly after that with the Arizona Cardinals. After two seasons, Ridder’s time in Atlanta has officially come to an end. They will receive...
Mar 14, 2024
Falcons announce that they have re-signed WR KhaDarel Hodge

Falcons announce that they have re-signed WR KhaDarel Hodge

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via The Falcons bring back their special teams gunner and depth wide receiver. Following their splash signing of Kirk Cousins, and the subsequent signings of TE Charlie Woerner and WR Darnell Mooney which closely followed, the Atlanta Falcons have looked inside the building for their next free agency move with the re-signing of wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge. Hodge as of this moment is the only WR not named Drake London who is returning from last year’s team. The Falcons announced the transaction on the team’s X...
Mar 14, 2024
Falcons re-sign offensive lineman Storm Norton

Falcons re-sign offensive lineman Storm Norton

Photo by Justin Casterline/ The team’s Kaleb McGary insurance policy for part of 2023 comes back to fill a similar role in 2024. The Atlanta Falcons continue to add pieces to their offense, and on Thursday, those additions came in the form of a pair of familiar faces. One of them was a player who is likely to be a critical piece of the offensive line again in 2024, barring a significant investment in the NFL draft. That would be Storm Norton, who played 14 games last year as the team’s de facto swing tackle, starting three games total at right tackle in place of...
Mar 13, 2024
Kirk Cousins talks Kyle Pitts recruitment, excitement over landing in Atlanta

Kirk Cousins talks Kyle Pitts recruitment, excitement over landing in Atlanta

Photo by Stephen Maturen/ Atlanta’s new quarterback met the media and made a good first impression, with one hiccup. The Atlanta Falcons could make it official Wednesday afternoon that Kirk Cousins was their new starting quarterback, and they were happy to do so. The announcement came earlier today after the official beginning of the new NFL league year, and then Cousins had the opportunity to meet with media and field questions. With the exception of one hiccup that we’ll get to late in this story, he made a good first impression. Cousins made it clear that...
Mar 12, 2024
Falcons Reacts Survey: What grade would you give the Kirk Cousins signing?

Falcons Reacts Survey: What grade would you give the Kirk Cousins signing?

Photo by Stephen Maturen/ It’s a new era in Atlanta. Take our survey, and tell us how you feel about it in the comments! 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. Remember when free agency used to come and go with barely a peep from the Falcons’ front office? Those days are gone, and the Falcons came into the 2024 legal tampering period swinging. Quarterback was obviously the...