Falcons' 1st Move Right After Super Bowl is Clear

After the seventh straight season with a losing record and no playoff appearance, the Atlanta Falcons are again in desperation mode. With Michael Penix Jr. set to take over as the starting quarterback, the Falcons are hoping to take a significant step forward next season.

They need to make significant changes in the offseason, and the majority of it will come on the defensive side of the ball. The changes already began with the firing of defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich.

The Falcons need to invest most of their resources on the defense in the offseason, and the top priority is obvious: the pass rush.

Falcons Need to Prioritize Pass Rush to Begin Player Acquisition Period

Free agency officially begins on March 12. The Falcons have big decisions to make ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, set to take place on April 24. Atlanta owns the No. 15 overall pick in the draft, and barring a trade-up, they are unlikely to get one of the elite pass rusher prospects like Penn State's Abdul Carter or Tennessee's James Pearce Jr.

That means that they need to be active in free agency to address the pass rush, especially with Lorenzo Carter and Matthew Judon being pending free agents.

Atlanta isn't projected to be a big cap-space team in the offseason, but they can open up some room depending on their decisions with their key free agents like Drew Dalman.

The EDGE free agent market has some intriguing options for the Falcons. Chargers star defensive end Khalil Mack is probably the best free agent available in the position. Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick are other high-end options with Baron Browning of the Cardinals, Dayo Odeyingbo of the Colts, and Malcolm Koonce of the Raiders are other starting-caliber pass rushers who the Falcons could target.

The Falcons had a below-average defense in each of the last seven years. They haven't ranked above 18th in points allowed in the meantime. Last season, they allowed 34 passing touchdowns, the second-most of any team in the league. Opposing quarterbacks had a 100.2 passer rating against Atlanta. They had the second-fewest number of sacks in the NFL with 31.

It is obvious that the Falcons need to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks under Jeff Ulbrich. To do that, they need quality pass rushers. It behooves them to make that a free agency priority.

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