The Atlanta Falcons are entering a pivotal offseason. They have a ton of holes to fill on their roster without having the necessary resources to do so.
One big boost for the Falcons, however, came from the NFL. After the league announced a significant increase to the salary cap for next season, the Falcons may have more cap space than they initially thought. Surely, they still have to figure out what to do with Kirk Cousins and make decisions on pending free agents like Justin Simmons, Mike Hughes, and Matthew Judon. How much flexibility they will actually have will depend on these decisions.
While they may not be able to be aggressive in free agency, the Falcons could turn to the trade market after this news.
One player they will likely need to replace in the offseason is veteran cornerback Dee Alford. The restricted free agent had a down year and the Falcons are probably better off letting the veteran cornerback walk.
Instead, they can look to trade for Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Newsome is entering his fifth year with the team and recently voiced his frustration with the organization due to his reduced role.
The Browns either have to give him a long-term contract extension or trade him for cap savings. The Falcons, who will need a new slot corner to replace Alford, could turn to Newsome to boost their secondary.
Newsome will earn a base salary of $13.3 million for 2025 and will require an extension beyond next season.
The former first-round pick was certainly not worth that salary in 2024, but in his previous seasons, he had emerged as one of the best nickel corners in the league. If the Falcons believe that he could go back to his old ways after leaving the disastrous Browns team, Newsome could be worth a flyer.