The Falcons raised some eyebrows with some of their moves on roster cutdown day yesterday. After another disappointing free agent signing, Atlanta’s front office has come under fire. As Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski put it, “Maybe the Atlanta Falcons should reassess how they approach free agency.”
Falcons Urged to ‘Reassess How They Approach Free Agency’
After another disappointing free agency addition in DL Morgan Fox, the Falcons’ free agency approach has drawn criticism from Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski.
Last offseason, the Falcons shocked the NFL world with a pair of quarterback decisions. Despite signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in March, Atlanta decided to double-dip at quarterback by selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in April.
Cousins earned the No. 1 spot as the best quarterback available on the 2024 free agent market. But, his first season in Atlanta was underwhelming, to say the least.
Following their Week 15 win, the Falcons announced that they’d be moving forward with Michael Penix Jr. as their quarterback of the future. After just 14 games, the Kirk Cousins experiment in Atlanta was over.
Obviously, every Falcons fan hopes that Michael Penix Jr. becomes the team’s long-term answer at quarterback. That’s still within the range of possibilities. But, if that’s the case, they’ll be much less likely to forgive the front office for investing so heavily in Kirk Cousins.
Now, after another questionable free agency move, the Falcons front office has come under fire.
Atlanta Cuts Trio of Defensive Linemen, Including 9-Year Veteran
DL Morgan Fox had $3 million guaranteed in the two-year contract he signed with the #Falcons this past offseason. Now, he’s been released.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) August 23, 2025
On the other side of the ball, Atlanta decided to invest heavily along their defensive front this offseason. They specifically focused on “adding juice to their pass rush,” according to Sobleski.
Shortly after the start of free agency, the Falcons signed a pair of nine-year veterans in DL Morgan Fox and DE Leonard Floyd. At the time, it seemed like a smart move to develop a veteran presence. But, only one of them survived roster cuts this week.
If the decision came down to Floyd or Fox, I have no problem with keeping Floyd around. But, I’m almost certain that’s not the case.
One issue that many pundits and fans will point to is the $3 million in guaranteed money in Fox’s contract. Even though Floyd’s $10 million contract is 100% guaranteed, he’s clearly the better player, and the numbers bear that out.
According to Pro Football Reference, Floyd has recorded more than double the amount of pressures (170 vs. 72) and sacks (51 vs. 25) over the past six seasons. It is important to note that Floyd has played nearly 2,000 more snaps over this timeframe. But, the difference in impact is staggering.
As for the Falcons other options along the defensive line, nine-year veteran David Onyemata helped anchor the defensive line alongside Grady Jarrett last year. But, he recorded just 3.0 sacks, which tied for the second-lowest total during a full season in his career. Onyemata took a step back in terms of the pass rush, but he maintained his effectiveness as a run-stopper.
They also double-dipped at edge rusher during the first round of this April’s NFL Draft, selecting both Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Following their decision to cut Fox, the Falcons will need to rely heavily on 32-year-old Leonard Floyd and their two rookies.
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