The Falcons pulled off impressive wins over the Bills and Rams during their down 2025 campaign, but overall simply weren't consistent enough on their way to their eighth-consecutive losing season. Losing starting QB Michael Penix for half the year due to a partially torn ACL didn't help matters, although more metrics than not indicate this was a bad football team last season.

• 2025: 8-9 (-48 point differential, preseason win total: 7.5)
• Points per game: 20.8 (24th)
• EPA per pass: +0.04 (21st)
• EPA per rush: -0.07 (20th)
• Points per game against: 23.6 (19th)
• EPA per pass against: +0.03 (13th)
• EPA per rush against: -0.03 (26th)

The good news is the Falcons have at least a little bit of cap room to work with (15th most) ahead of free agency. The bad news is the Rams are sitting pretty with the Falcons' 13th overall pick after the organization traded up to select James Pearce last April. This lack of high-end offseason resources means that the bulk of roster improvement might just have to come from incumbent progression and a better scheme from new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

What do the Saints Need to do Ahead of the 2026 NFL Season?

Need 1: Pass catcher

Drake London is a stud and warrants being the team's No. 1 receiver of the present and future. However, things aren't so clear for the team's reigning No. 2 and No. 3 options:

• Tight end Kyle Pitts is hitting free agency fresh off his breakout 88-928-5 campaign. Still just 25 years young, the former fourth overall pick looks a lot like the position's crown jewel of this free agent class … if the Falcons don't lock him down with a long-term deal OR decide to use the franchise tag.
• Darnell Mooney is entering the last year of his contract and could even be a cap casualty after posting career-worst numbers in yards per target and catch rate while playing through injury last season.

Bringing back Pitts would be a nice start, otherwise spending at least one of the team's two top-80 picks on a wide receiver or tight end makes sense. Consider: London and Pitts are the only pass catchers the team has drafted before Round 6 since 2018!

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Need 2: Cornerback

No. 1 corner A.J. Terrell joins one of the league's best safety tandems in Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts to form a secondary that was dominant for parts of 2025.

The problem more so revolves around the team's secondary options at cornerback:

• C.J. Henderson: PFF's 79th highest-graded corner among 156 qualified players
• Mike Hughes: 88th
• Dee Alford: 103rd and hitting free agency
• Billy Bowman: 119th
• Cobee Bryant: 151st

The Falcons already have the league's second-most expensive secondary entering 2026, so spending big in free agency probably isn't realistic. What is possible, and even encouraged: Taking a corner with the team's second- or third-round pick. After all, this organization has only drafted two defensive backs in Rounds 1-3 during the last five years combined–tied for the fourth-lowest mark in the league!

Need 3: Front seven

Obviously the EDGE room is good to go with the team's pair of 2025 first-rounders—though Pearce’s off-the-field issue could result in league discipline—but there are bunches of free agents elsewhere. Overall, this is the league's second-cheapest front seven as a whole entering 2025. Work needs to be done for a group that wasn't exactly dominant at the line of scrimmage last season—particularly against the run.

• EPA per rush against: -0.03 (26th)
• Rushing yards before contact per carry: 1.29 (18th)
• Percentage of opponent's carries to go for zero or negative yards: 16.2% (28th)

Even the pass rush wasn't as good as their 57 sacks (2nd most) would indicate: Atlanta's 37% pressure rate was just the 15th best mark in the league last season. Solidifying the team's interior defensive line (3rd cheapest group entering 2026) and linebacker (9th cheapest) rooms ahead of next season will give this defense a chance to go from good to great.

Honorable mention

Reliable No. 2 running back Tyler Allgeier is hitting free agency, leaving the team VERY thin on capable depth behind rock star Bijan Robinson … A new coaching staff could potentially mean new ideas at the quarterback position—particulalry if Penix struggles to get back to full health in a timely manner. A new backup would be needed should the team decide to part ways with Kirk Cousins.

If I were the general manager…

I'd slap the franchise tag on Pitts to see if he can build off his promising 2025 campaign before adding a capable wide receiver and cornerback in Rounds 2 and 3. Louisville wideout Chris Bell could be in play at pick No. 48 and would help give this passing attack the sort of weaponry to really find out if Penix should be considered the long-term answer under center.

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