The Atlanta Falcons are entering the 2025 offseason with limited cap space and a ton of holes to fill on the roster. They are $11.1 million over the cap, and they have to shed salary before they can think about being aggressive in free agency.
While Kirk Cousins and his future remain the most important offseason question in Atlanta, they also have unrestricted free agents that they have to worry about. Justin Simmons, Mike Hughes, and Matthew Judon are all pending free agents. It behooves the Falcons to sign these veteran defenders to value contracts or find cheaper replacements in the offseason.
One player the Falcons should be happy to part ways with is Judon. The former Patriot had the worst season of his career after he was acquired by Atlanta for a third-round pick before the season. Despite being healthy and playing every game, Judon received a 43.0 defensive grade on PFF and ranked as the third-worst edge defender in the league among 119 eligible players.
One free agent the Falcons can target to replace Judon is Baron Browning of the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron identified Browning as the dream scenario for Atlanta.
"Without much spending power, Atlanta could look toward cheaper options with high upside, like Baron Browning, to boost a pass-rush unit that ranked 30th in both win rate (34.5%) and PFF grade (59.0). Browning, who moved to the edge full time in 2022, flourished in Arizona, earning a career-high 77.2 PFF pass-rush grade. "Mason Cameron, PFF
Browning was traded to the Cardinals from the Broncos at the trade deadline. In eight games with Arizona, he recorded two sacks, four tackles for loss, and three QB hits, receiving a 76.3 pass rush grade from PFF. At age 25, he also brings much-needed youth and upside to an aging defensive line.
What direction the Falcons go with their defensive line will be fascinating to watch but targeting Browning, who will have some untapped potential with his new contract, makes plenty of sense.