The Atlanta Falcons made a big splash in free agency this year, spending huge money to sign veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to be their new starter.
That move instantly had multiple outlets moving them to the top of the pecking order in the lowly NFC South, with the 2024 NFL draft giving them the opportunity to fill their other needs elsewhere on the roster.
Instead, the Falcons spent the No. 8 overall pick on another quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington, rather than adding another pass rusher, cornerback, or anything else that would have made them a more likely contender in the short-term.
“What a strange quarterback situation," one rival scout told Athlon Sports for this year's NFL preview magazine , on sale at newsstands now. "They pay Kirk Cousins all that money and then they draft Michael Penix Jr. that high. Love Penix’s upside, but they’ve got to play Cousins for a year or two before they plug in the younger guy. Awkward situation for Cousins and really the entire locker room. I’m sure Kirk will handle this fine, but it’s a weird move for sure. They could have handled this better."
As far as the rest of the offense, the Falcons have plenty of playmakers for either of their quarterbacks to take advantage of, this year and beyond.
"Bijan Robinson had a really productive rookie season," the scout said. "Everything says to me he should get more touches, not this up-and-down workload. ... Lot of talent at the skill positions here [Kyle Pitts, Drake London], but they need to make better use of them."
On defense, the Falcons still have cornerstone players at multiple positions, and made a big addition on the back end in free agency, but there are still plenty of need areas on that side of the ball heading into the 2024 season.
"You won’t find many defensive tackles better and more reliable than Grady Jarrett," the scout said. "Signing David Onyemata made the defensive line a lot stouter against the run. Overall, this front seven has some holes, especially at linebacker. They need a better group overall at that spot, especially in this division. ... Seeing a lot of development from A.J. Terrell as a cover corner. He’s getting better and better. ... They spent big money on Jessie Bates III, and he immediately upgraded the defense. They’ve got to keep getting better on the defensive side of the football."
"Younghoe Koo is a super-clutch kicker," the scout added.
It's still possible for the Falcons to be the best team in the NFC South this season, but they'll have to finally maximize the weapons they have on offense, get the defense to step up at every level, and hope the strange decisions they made at quarterback this offseason doesn't backfire in either direction.
Related: Falcons Had Right Idea, but Michael Penix Jr. Might Not Be Right Successor to Kirk Cousins
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