:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70588135/usa_today_17089806.0.jpg)
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t have a great season a year ago and are slated to lose a couple of huge names in free agency once the new league year starts in the middle of March. They’ll have a lot of needs to address if those players do end up heading elsewhere, especially in an NFC South division that seems wide open.
After a 7-10 finish this season, Atlanta has +5000 odds to win the Super Bowl and +500 to win the division.
Atlanta Falcons free agency preview
Positional needs: OL, WR, DB
There aren’t a ton of areas on the field where Atlanta couldn’t use an upgrade, but these are definitely the ones they need the most help with. The interior offensive line was abysmal last season, ranking 29th in the league in pressures allowed. At DB both of last season’s starting safeties will most likely be out the door. Probably the most needed spot is WR, with only two players under contract still for 2022 and Calvin Ridley reportedly looking for a fresh start in a new city.
Players to target
Allen Robinson, WR
Robinson has been stuck in QB purgatory for a long time now with the Chicago Bears. Chicago is sure to make him a nice offer to stick around and build around Fields, but the Falcons could entice him with a known, but aging, entity under center.
Riley Reiff, RT
Reiff is a member of the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals slated to hit the free agent market. The Bengals OL was probably the reason they lost the Super Bowl, to be honest, and Reiff had one of his worst seasons as a pro. Still, he’s been solid throughout the rest of his career and one down year could make him a very cheap upgrade Atlanta can grab.
Quandre Diggs, S
Diggs is coming off back-to-back five interception seasons and is quietly producing some of the best numbers of his career with a bad Seattle Seahawks team. Despite breaking his leg in the final game of the season, he’ll likely be one of Seattle’s top targets to bring back on the defensive side of the ball. But if he makes it to free agency he’d be an immediate upgrade in the defensive backfield for Atlanta.