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The Atlanta Falcons are coming off a rough season. They brought in Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder as hopeful quarterback solutions after trading away Matt Ryan. Atlanta still finished with a 7-10 record in last place in a very winnable NFC South.
The Falcons aren’t expected to contend for the Super Bowl in 2024. They are longshots at DraftKings Sportsbook with +7500 odds, which ranks as the sixth-worst in the league. There is still plenty of time for these odds to improve if Atlanta can take advantage of some key trades or free-agency moves.
The Falcons are largely rebuilding. They have some foundational pieces in place, but really they could use an overall in all aspects of their team. Don’t let the 7-10 record fool you, the Falcons played worse than their record suggested. LB Rashaan Evans and RT Kaleb McGary lead their impending free agents. McGary played every single offensive snap in 2022, and Evans played 98.4% of defensive snaps.
Atlanta Falcons free agents
IDL Abdullah Anderson
TE Anthony Firkser
LS Beau Brinkley
P Bradley Pinion
LT Chuma Edoga
RG Colby Gossett
CB Cornell Armstrong
WR Damiere Byrd
IDL Derrick Tangelo
LG Elijah Wilkinson
WR Emeka Emezie
S Erik Harris
RT Germain Ifedo
CB Isaiah Oliver
IDL Jaleel Johnson
RT Kaleb McGary
FB Keith Smith
WR KhaDarel Hodge
LS Liam McCullough
EDGE Lorenzo Carter
IDL Matt Dickerson
CB Mike Ford
TE MyCole Pruitt
LB Nick Kwiatoski
WR Olamide Zaccheaus
TE Parker Hesse
LB Rashaan Evans
CB Rashad Fenton
RT Tyler Vrabel
IDL Vincent Taylor
Franchise tag options
RT Kaleb McGary
The Falcons have only used a franchise tag three times in their history. They aren’t expected to use it this year, either. The only scenario that could prompt them to use it will be to retain McGary. The team declined his fifth-year option, and the former first-round pick responded by playing every single offensive snap. McGary should be heavily courted in free agency for teams needing tackle stability, but if Atlanta wants him back in town, they may have to pay the $18.24 million steep franchise tag to keep him.