Falcons set to make moves at combine, get jump-start on free agency

During the day, the Falcons will scout the 319 players who have been invited to participate in the combine.

Georgia, the two-time defending national champion, has 12 players set to participate, second only to Alabama’s 13. Georgia Tech has two players, and there are 41 players with connections to Georgia set to participate.

At night, there will be meetings with agents who represent the 23 Falcons players who are set to become unrestricted free agents March 15. The Falcons can’t meet with the certified agents of players from other teams until the legal tampering period starts March 13.

However, in the past, the groundwork for some of those free-agency deals was discreetly hatched at the combine. Some of the prospective free agents to keep an eye on include Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates, Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne and Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, who was released as a salary-cap casualty Wednesday.

The Falcons hold the eighth pick in the draft and hold eight picks overall. They can gain another pick from Jacksonville if former wide receiver Calvin Ridley is reinstated.

This will be more of an information-gathering exercise with regard to the draft, which is scheduled April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Falcons will place a priority on finding help on defense for lineman Grady Jarrett.

Going into the combine, the top five defensive tackle prospects are Georgia’s Jalen Carter (6-foot-3, 300 pounds), Clemson’s Bryan Bresee (6-5, 305), Baylor’s Siaki Ika (6-4, 358), Pittsburgh’s Calijah Kancey (6-0, 280) and Michigan’s Mazi Smith (6-3, 337), according to Pro Football Focus.

The Falcons would need to trade up to get Carter. He’s widely considered the top player in the draft.

Bresee, considered the No. 1 recruit in the nation three years ago, should be available at No. 8. Ika is considered a late first-round to early second-round pick.

In the secondary opposite A.J. Terrell, the Falcons need some help. They already know if they are bringing back Casey Hayward, who will turn 34 in September, and nickel back Isaiah Oliver, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

The top five cornerbacks heading into the combine are Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Penn State’s Joey Porter, Maryland’s Deonte Banks and Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson (who also played at Georgia).

Witherspoon or Gonzalez could be options in the first round. Porter is considered a middle to late first-round pick. Banks is a projected late first-round pick, and Stevenson is a projected second-rounder.

With Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota and Logan Woodside currently on the roster, the Falcons will scout heavily the quarterback group.

Mariota’s days on the roster likely are numbered after he bolted from the team in December after his demotion. Releasing him would give the Falcons $12 million in cap space.

The Falcons most likely will add a veteran quarterback to the group. They must still do their due diligence with the draft class, just in case one of the top-tier quarterbacks slips to eight. Or if a second- or third-tier quarterback slips to them later in the draft.

The Falcons’ view of the middle to later rounds of the draft will be enhanced from the coaching staff working the East-West Shrine Bowl. Fontenot noted that historically 25% of the East-West players get drafted and 50% of them play in the league at some point.

“It could be very valuable to you not only in the short term but in the long term,” Smith said. “I think the more you get to know these players that are coming through every year, the better off you are.”

While the Falcons are scouting the college players, the wheels of free agency will start to churn a little faster.

The Falcons re-signed long snapper Liam McCullough and tight end Parker Hessee to a one-year contracts last week. They were exclusive-rights free agents.

Defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson is the lone restricted free agent. He played in 16 games and made eight starts last season.

The restricted tender levels are $6 million (first round), $4.3 million (second round) and $2.6 million (right of first refusal).

The Falcons’ top potential free agents include offensive tackle Kaleb McGary, linebacker Rashaan Evans, cornerback Isaiah Oliver, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter, punter Bradley Pinion and fullback Keith Smith.

McGary, who’s coming off his best season, has a market value of $17.7 million, according to Spotrac. He’s projected to land a four-year, $70.9 million deal.

Evans, who led the Falcons in tackles with 159, has a market value of $4.5 million per year. He’s projected to have a two-year, $9 million deal.

Zaccheaus’ market value is set at $2.7 million. He’s projected to land a two-year, $7.5 million deal.

Here’s a look at the Falcons’ potential unrestricted free agents:

McGary: He was not signed to his $13.6 million fifth-year option last offseason, and he responded with his best NFL season. He helped to power the league’s third-best rushing attack but continued to struggle against elite pass rushers.

He had a grade of 86.6 by Pro Football Focus, but he gave up six sacks. He had failing grades of 54, 64.3 and 62.8 in his previous three seasons. He also gave up 13 sacks as a rookie, four in 2020 and nine in 2021.

Evans: The former first-round pick of the Titans was a perfect replacement for Foye Oluokun. Evans wants to return, and the Falcons want him. So, it will just be a matter of working out the contract.

Zaccheaus: The dependable player was the second-leading receiver with 40 catches for 533 yards and three touchdowns.

Carter: He had four sacks, 15 pressures and seven quarterback hits last season. Carter, who played at Georgia and Norcross High, wants to return. He played last season on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

Pinion: We’ll see if the Falcons want to invest in the special teams or try to get another punter on the cheap. Pinion had a 73.8% touchback rate on 80 kickoffs. He grossed 45.9 yards (41.2 net yards) on 62 punts.

Smith: He was named to the Pro Bowl as a second alternate at fullback. Played a key role in the run game and on special teams.

Oliver: If he gets to free agency, look for him to reunite with Dan Quinn (Cowboys) or Raheem Morris (Rams).

Erik Harris: Great locker-room guy.

Damiere Byrd: Provided a deep threat early in the season.

Germain Ifedi: He was beaten out by McGary and was the backup swing tackle.

Mike Ford: He was a key special-teams player with 361 snaps. He had seven special-teams tackles and the key block of Cordarrelle Patterson’s record-breaking TD kickoff return.

Anthony Firkser: He played in 11 games and made one start as a quality reserve.

Elijah Wilkinson: He won the starting job, but injuries got in the way. He started only nine games.

Vincent Taylor: He spent the season on injured reserve. Was expected to be the starter at nose tackle.

Beau Brinkley: With McCullough re-signed it wouldn’t make sense to have two long snappers on the 90-man roster.

KhaDarel Hodge: He played 259 special-teams snaps and was a dependable reserve at wide receiver. He led the team with nine special-teams tackles.

Nick Kwiatkoski: A quality reserve who played in nine games.

MyCole Pruitt: He came on strong after tight end Kyle Pitts went down and caught four TDs. Ridder seems to be on the same page with Pruitt.

Jaleel Johnson: The defensive lineman provided some depth along the defensive line.

Colby Gossett: Made a start but ended the season as the fifth guard.

Matt Dickerson: He provided some late-season depth along the defensive line.

Chuma Edoga: He made one start at guard.

Rashad Fenton: The Falcons traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Chiefs for Fenton. He played in two games and made one start.

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