Atlanta Falcons and free agency

February 8, 7:17 PMAtlanta Falcons ExaminerDaniel Cox

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On February 17, 2007 the Atlanta Falcons made wholesale changes to their roster, cutting veteran tight end Alge Crumpler (a four-time Pro Bowler) and defensive tackle Rod Coleman, among four others.

A few weeks later, running back Warrick Dunn was released after the team signed free-agent running back Michael Turner.

These proved to be astute moves by general manager Thomas Dimitroff as he whittled away some of the veteran weight on his team and paved the way for a new direction for the Falcons.

This off season will likely be a little different.

Dimitroff has acknowledged that cutting more veterans will not be as easy as last year since he's had a full year of experience with his players.

But he's remained firm in his assertion that he will not let any emotional attachment to a player cloud of his vision for the direction in which his team needs to go this off season.

The Falcons have a number of players that are free agents that he'd like to re-sign. They're $20.8 million under the cap, so they have some flexibility to accomplish that. Around $4 million will likely need to be committed to signing draftees, so Atlanta may only have around $16 million to bring back some key free-agents.

It's likely that some of the veterans will be cut to generate more cap space, but coach Mike Smith relied heavily on his "over-thirty club," and the absence of some experienced veterans on this team could be felt next season.

Atlanta's Unrestricted Free Agents

Michael Boley LB, Chauncey Davis DE, Domonique Foxworth CB, Wayne Gandy OT, Tony Gilbert LB, Grady Jackson DT, Jason Jefferson DT, Michael Koenen P, Lawyer Milloy S, Justin Peelle TE, Coy Wire LB

Atlanta's Restricted Free Agents

Tyson Clabo OT, Harvey Dahl OG, Jamaal Fudge S, Ben Wilkerson C

Linebacker Keith Brooking is the key veteran whose status must be determined. Dimitroff must decide whether to bring back the 33-year-old linebacker for the final year of his contract or release him to save the $8.3 million he'll be owed in 2009.

Brooking is an Atlanta native and played in college at Georgia Tech. He's popular with the fans and this will clearly by Dimitroff's toughest decision. Brooking's skills have diminished, but his attitude and leadership still offer some value.

Unless the Falcons can convince him to retire, cutting ties with him is the fiscally responsible move.

Of the unrestricted free agents, Boley, Davis, Foxworth, and Koenen are the priorities.

Davis provided adequate depth at the defensive end position and played well as part of a defensive line rotation. There's contention among the fans that he's a better option at defensive end for Atlanta than former first-round draft pick Jamaal Anderson. Bringing back Davis will provide depth and a possible competition for Anderson, who must make a bigger impact for the team in the coming 2009 season or he will be among the list of possible cuts following the season.

Koenen is arguably the most important re-signing the Falcons must make and it's almost a lock that he will return. He proved his worth last season, often providing Atlanta with good field position and has one of the stronger legs in the league.

Foxworth, who was brought to Atlanta from Denver in a trade for a 2009 seventh-round draft pick, just before the season began, showed he has talent and can start for Atlanta. There may be some interest in him on the market, but Atlanta will likely be able to bring him back. Atlanta's secondary is weak with Chris Houston and questions at strong safety. Foxworth will help stabilize the position.

Milloy is 35-years-old and while he can still hit hard, his ability to cover the pass is no longer there. He provides unquestionable leadership in the locker room though, and he'd be of value next season for that reason. He's said that he wants to play a few more years and contend for a championship. He's from Seattle and his former head coach in Atlanta, Jim Mora, is now the head coach there. There's some talk that he'd be interested in returning to Seattle, but they're not in a position to contend for a Super Bowl in the next two years. If the defensive line could be improved, it's likely that Milloy could serve as the starter before a long-term fix is provided. One idea is to move free safety Erik Coleman to strong and allow Thomas DeCoud, who looked impressive as a rookie on special teams, to start at free safety.

Peelle became the starter after free-agent acquisition Ben Hartstock was lost for the season. Hartstock is a block-first tight end, a sixth-offensive lineman type--the prototype tight end in offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey's system. Peelle proved to have good hands, but his blocking is weak. It's unlikely he'll return as Atlanta hopes Hartstock can get healthy and they can land a future starter in the draft.

Boley is one of the more curious players the Falcons have. On the market he's considered to be a solid player and will likely draw interest. He fell out of favor with the coaching staff this past season, playing at the strongside linebacker position. He proved to be weak defending the run and eventually lost his starting job to Wire. Boley's skill set fits well for the demands of the weakside linebacker and if Brooking is no longer with the team, Atlanta would be wise to bring Boley back and move him to the weakside to utilize his skills in coverage. That would allow the team to have some continuity at the linebacker position and pursue a strongside linebacker in free agency or in the draft. Boley won't be cheap and he'll need to be a starter for what he'll earn in '09 and it remains to be seen if any goodwill Atlanta had with Boley was lost with his benching.

Wire played well when he started near the end of the season. He's a tough linebacker that defended the run well. He could be re-signed for fairly cheap and would provide depth. It's unlikely he's capable of playing an entire season like he did in the last quarter off '08 so he's not a reliable long-term solution.

Of the restricted free agents, Dahl and Clabo are necessary re-signings. They were both starters on an offensive line that was part of the second-best rushing attack in the NFL in 2008. While upgrading the right side of the line is something Atlanta will need to begin to look at this off season, Dahl and Clabo are both experienced enough to buy themselves another year on the line in hopes that they can develop into front-line starters. Fudge would be brought back to provide depth only, as the Falcons will be looking for a long-term answer in free agency or in the draft.

Dimitroff's approach to free agency is still a mystery. He's of the school of thought that says you build your team through the draft and supplement with free agency, yet in 2008 he signed the best running back in the free-agent class, which was hardly a quiet move.

In a recent interview with an Atlanta-area radio station, Dimitroff said he does intend to target a position(s) in free agency just as he did last year so they can focus on other specific needs in the draft. He cited last year as an example. He knew they were unlikely to target a running back in the draft, and needing one, they signed Turner.

He said this plan helps them stay focused in free agency and better prepare for the draft, which he stated was strong with defensive players.

The Falcons' needs are clear. They will be in the market for a defensive tackle, a safety, a linebacker (at least one) and will likely look to create depth and future starters at other positions, including tight end, corner back and offensive line, especially with offensive tackle Todd Weiner announcing his retirement this week.

While the free-agent pool is currently set, Monday February 9th, will potentially introduce new free agents to consider. The 9th is the day when teams can begin to cut veterans and there are some big names rumored to be cut such as Raiders' safety Michael Huff, Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas and Cowboys' wide receiver Terrell Owens. 

While it's never too early to begin to speculate on what players the Falcons may be interested in, there may still be players employed by teams that could be considerations for Atlanta. 

While changes like last season's aren't expected, the Falcons must look to improve their team, especially on defense (specifically on defense!) if they're expected to make it through what is projected to be the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL in 2009.