The Atlanta Falcons Make their 1st Splash in Free Agency

The Atlanta Falcons made their 1st splash in Free Agency by signing Guard Brandon Fusco to a 3 year $12.75 million dollar deal. $5.5 Million of the deal is guaranteed.

Fusco, formerly of the 49ers, was drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL draft out of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, by the Minnesota Vikings. The 29 year old 6’2 305 lb behemoth, has started 80 games over his 7 year career.

Brandon Fusco became a full time starter in his 2nd year with the Minnesota Vikings and started every game from 2012 to 2016 besides 3.

This isn’t including 2014, when he was injured for the remainder of the season in week 3. He was released before the 2017 season for salary cap reasons and signed a 1 year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. Brandon started all 16 games under for Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. He was graded Pro Football Focus’ 21st rated Guard last season.

The Atlanta Falcons’ ESPN beat writer Von McClure graded the move a B and offered these thoughts:

"A guy who has played 4,731 career snaps isn’t coming in to sit the bench,” McClure writes. “Although the Falcons liked Wes Schweitzer’s effort last season in his first year starting at right guard, Schweitzer is viewed more as a quality backup. The 6-foot-4, 306-pound Fusco, who started at right guard for the 49ers last season, can step right in and help upgrade the run game."

FanSided and Blogging Dirty’s, Yuriy Andriyashchuk writes about the signing which can be viewed in the link below:

Fusco tweeted out his excitement last night:

The Atlanta Falcons Official Twitter account also announced the signing this morning.

What this means for the Falcons Moving forward:

Brandon Fusco will compete with Wes Switzer, Ben Garland, and Sean Harlow for the starting RG spot. He is the hands down favorite to win the job and shouldn’t have a big learning curve having played in the same offense under Kyle Shanahan. Fusco is a great fit for the zone blocking scheme ran by Steve Sarkisisan. He projects to be a major upgrade over Wes Switzer (ranked 54th by PFF) and Ben Garland (ranked 50th).

This signing, along with the return of LG Andy Levitre should shore up the interior of the Atlanta Falcons offensive line which was one of the teams biggest weakness least season. This also decreases the likelihood that The Falcons will draft a guard like fan favorite, Isaiah Wynn of UGA. All in all this was a very solid first move in Free Agency and furthers the quest for the Atlanta Falcons to be the 1st team in the NFL to win the Super Bowl at home.

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