After their Super Bowl run, the Atlanta Falcons earned a B-plus on their NFC offseason report card.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote the Falcons made progress piecing together their front seven and adding talent to the depth chart this offseason by adding new players like Takkarist McKinley and Dontari Poe.
Barnwell also notes Desmond Trufant’s contract extension in April which keeps a tenured cornerback in the otherwise young Falcons’ backfield.
Barnwell writes the Falcons don’t earn an A because he’s unsure about the Falcons’ offensive line.
“The line is unlikely to be as healthy in 2017, simply by sheer regression to the mean...The Falcons also lost underrated guard Chris Chester to retirement and don't have an obvious replacement. Rookie fourth-round pick Sean Harlow is likely to compete with 2016 sixth-rounder Wes Schweitzer, who has yet to take an NFL snap after sitting out inactive his entire rookie season. Neither is likely to be as effective as Chester, and the only other veteran the Falcons have on the bench is utility player Ben Garland,” Barnwell wrote.
The next step, Barnwell wrote, is to sign running back Devonta Freeman to a contract that pays enough to make him stay in Atlanta.
The Falcons earned the highest grade in the NFC South while the Saints and Buccaneers both earned a B and the Panthers earned a C-plus.
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