Cutting three key players to save $16 million was a first step. Unless the Atlanta Falcons are going all Miami Marlins on us – and they’re not; the Falcons don’t yet have their new stadium and Arthur Blank isn’t Jeffrey Loria – more steps will come. And what might those be? Glad you asked.

Don’t expect the Falcons to go free-agent crazy. The bulk of that $16 million will be earmarked to preserve what’s here, not to buy more players. William Moore and Sam Baker are due for extensions. Keeping cornerback Brent Grimes figures to be a greater priority with Dunta Robinson gone. And, not incidentally, Matt Ryan’s rookie contract is set to lapse after the 2013 season. Locking up these guys won’t seem as sexy as signing, say, Steven Jackson, but for roster maintenance it’s essential.

Do expect the Falcons to make one big signing. Check Thomas Dimitroff’s record since becoming general manager: Signed Michael Turner as a free agent in 2008; traded for Tony Gonzalez in 2009; signed Robinson in 2010; signed Ray Edwards in 2011; traded for Asante Samuel in 2012. Dimitroff hasn’t yet gone an offseason without adding a veteran presence. Can’t imagine 2013 will break the pattern.

Don’t expect the big signing to be an obvious one. The aforementioned Jackson is a feature back on the far side of 30, and there’s some thought that the Falcons, who just divested themselves of Turner, aren’t sure they need a feature back. A committee of Jacquizz Rodgers, Jason Snelling and the re-signed Antone Smith might work. Even with John Abraham gone, there could be some hesitation over paying serious money to a free-agent pass rusher (Dwight Freeney, to name one) because sack totals don’t always travel well.

Do expect the Falcons to keep the 4-3 defense as their base. Mike Smith is still the head coach, and Smith, once an esteemed defensive coordinator, prefers the 4-3. Will the Falcons continue to employ some 3-4 looks? Yes. But don’t read the severance with Abraham as a repudiation of the 4-3.

Don’t expect a Julio Jones draft maneuver. After the five-for-one trade that yielded Jones in 2011, Dimitroff was criticized for not valuing the draft nearly enough, which was laugh-out-loud funny. Dimitroff made his reputation as a scout, for Pete Retzlaff’s sake! The move to grab Jones was a one-time thing, and there’s a sense of relief that the Falcons, who because of the trade with Cleveland lacked a Round 1 choice last year, again have a full complement of picks. (There’s also a quiet-but-unmistakable sense of pride that Jones has, in two seasons, become one of the NFL’s best receivers.)

Do expect this Round 1 pick to be a defender. The Falcons ranked eighth in the NFL in total offense, 24^th in total defense. I believe this qualifies as a “duh.”

Don’t expect the Falcons to get antsy because they came within 10 yards of the Super Bowl. Dimitroff isn’t a patient person by nature, but he has trained himself not to move in haste. Trading up for Jones was a move he’d considered for weeks. After the 2011 season that ended with the lamentable 24-2 playoff loss to the Giants, Dimitroff didn’t go hog-wild trying to sign the free agent Mario Williams – a pass-rusher, please note – but concentrated on keeping what he had. (Grimes was tendered as a franchise player; Abraham, Snelling, Thomas DeCoud and Kroy Biermann were re-upped; Turner and Baker weren’t cut.) Dimitroff isn’t about to destroy what he has labored long to build because he sees 2013 as Super-Bowl-or-bust.

Do expect Tony Gonzalez to be back. This is just a guess, but Dimitroff has said Gonzalez’s position of being 95 (or 97) percent certain he would retire is more like 50-50. A check of the calendar tells us that it’s already March. That he hasn’t bid an official adieu indeed suggests that he’s wavering. And given that his two most recent games yielded the first playoff victory of his distinguished career and then an excruciating loss, he might feel he has unfinished business. Certainly the Falcons wouldn’t look askance if Tony G. decides to give it one more go.

Further reading: I did one of these what-to-expect things last year, and in hindsight I was mostly right. Miracle of miracles, I know.