The most important item didn't get into any of the articles... offensive coordinator Dave Ragone (a former QB himself) is going to double as the QB coach. Funny thing for me with Ragone... I mainly remember him as the QB of the Berlin Thunder in 2005, when he was trying to revive his own NFL career. That's now a key point for him as a coach. He drills into his QBs not to make the same career mistakes that he made. As a QB coach, he was the only offensive position coach under John Fox in Chicago who was kept when Matt Nagy came aboard. He's the QB coach who had success with Mitch Trubisky, with Trubisky throwing for 3200 yards in 14 games with 24 TDs vs 12 interceptions in 2018. He made Mitch look good? Yeah, he can be the QB coach. The downside is that the extra duty might prove to be too much for a burden when he really needs to focus on his OC role. That was an issue for Steve Sarkisian in his first season as Atlanta's OC. He was a rookie OC himself and he was saddled with a rookie QB coach. He ended up having to spend so much of his time reviewing the new offensive system with Matt Ryan that it hurt his ability to make adjustments with game plans, etc. So I wouldn't be too surprised if a full time QB coach comes in, or at the very least an assistant QB coach. The other in house candidate is T.J. Yates, who is currently the WR coach. Like Ragone, Yates was a QB himself - including a stint with the Falcons as Matt Ryan's backup. Outside the organization, Titans passing game analyst Pat O'Hara would be a strong contender. He doesn't have a strong connection with Ragone, but he was Arthur Smith's QB coach when Smith was OC. Another interesting candidate would be Jordan Palmer, who has already been working with Desmond Ridder outside of the organization.
Falcons set to re-sign Lorenzo Carter The Falcons are set to bring back edge rusher Lorenzo Carter. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Carter is expected to sign a new deal with the team. It is set to be a two-year deal for Carter, who was on track for unrestricted free agency next week. Carter signed with the Falcons last year after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Giants. He started every game for Atlanta and finished the year with 58 tackles, four sacks, 12 quarterback hits, an interception he returned for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery. While Carter is on his way back, tight tackle Kaleb McGary, linebacker Rashaan Evans, and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus are other Falcons starters headed toward free agency.
I wouldn't be surprised if all three of Evans, Zaccheaus and McGary return. McGary is the one due the big bucks. Evans will be a big jump compared to his current contract, but he won't break the bank.
Another Falcons free agent that doesn't get mentioned in any of the articles... the team signed free agent DT Vincent Taylor to a cheap one year contract a year ago. He got hurt during training camp and missed the season. Now he's a free agent again. And he's going to be cheap again - even less of a market since he missed the season. If I'm in Atlanta's front office, I'd offer him another cheap one year deal. I wouldn't be counting on him as a starter, or even to make it to week one without going back on IR. But we saw last year how we need as much depth as we can get.
Per; PFT After getting Eddie Goldman back, the Falcons may be making another significant addition to their defensive line. The Falcons plan to host veteran Calais Campbell for a free-agent visit this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media. Campbell has spent the last three seasons for Baltimore and is looking to play his 16th NFL season. In 14 games last year, Campbell recorded 5.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, 14 QB hits, and a pair of forced fumbles in 14 games. A second-round pick in 2008, Campbell spent his first nine seasons with the Cardinals before spending his next three with the Jaguars. Campbell, who turns 37 in September, has appeared in 227 games with 208 starts. His next sack will be his 100th, as he recorded 56.5 with the Cardinals, 31.5 with Jacksonville, and 11.0 with Baltimore. While the Ravens released Campbell, Garafolo reports the club has left the door open for his return. But that may not happen if Campbell can come to a deal with Atlanta. _______ _________________ That'll help that line immensely. Maybe they pull the trigger.
I'm hoping for Campbell to choose Atlanta, for sure. In the meantime, the Falcons put out a press release today proudly announcing the signing of DE Joe Gaziano. This will be his fourth year in the league, and he already has a sack!! The rest of the NFC South is shaking in terror. Or is that laughter? Hard to tell...
Calais Campbell agrees to sign with Falcons Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell has found a home for the 2023 season. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Campbell has agreed to a one-year deal with the Falcons. Campbell visited with the team last week and will join safety Jessie Bates, defensive tackle David Onyemata, cornerback Mike Hughes, linebacker Kaden Elliss, and linebacker Tae Davis as free agent additions to Atlanta’s defense. Campbell will be playing his 16th NFL season in 2023 and he’s coming off a year that saw him post 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 14 starts for the Ravens. He will open the season as the NFL’s active leader in games played for a defensive player. Campbell also visited with the Jaguars and he also drew interest from the Bills and Jets, but those teams will have to look elsewhere for help on defense. PFT
The 6-foot-8, 300-pound defensive end has racked up 99 sacks, 237 QB hits and forced 16 fumbles over his 15-year NFL career. Thats not too shabby.
Folks, we have a defensive line in Atlanta now. Grady Jackson, Calais Campbell, David Onyemata, Eddie Goldman (until he changes his mind and retires again), Ta'quon Graham and Timmy Horne rotate in the three interior spots, while Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketie, Kaden Elliss, Ade Ogundeji and Deangelo Malone make up the edge/OLB group.
Calais Campbell's decision to sign with Falcons suggests there's something brewing in Atlanta It seems like every website, podcast, magazine, television talking head and, oh, heavy equipment operator and deep fry cook in America has a prediction on the upcoming NFL season. Who is rising. Who is falling. Who will win. Opinions are everywhere, but the ones that often ring truest come from those with some skin in the game. And that’s why it rings out that on Wednesday veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons — rather than a slew of other options. Campbell is 36 years old. While he still has game, including 5.5 sacks a year ago in Baltimore, he is nowhere near the best free agent available this offseason, or even his former game-wrecking self in Arizona and Jacksonville. He doesn’t by himself make the Falcons a Super Bowl team. He may play only half the defensive snaps this season. His choosing Atlanta does, however, suggest that a serious playoff run is no longer a figment of fan imagination. It’s a once-cautious dream that has grown both rapidly and rabidly as general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith have impressively rebooted the franchise to consecutive 7-10 seasons. As the oldest defensive lineman in the league with career earnings of $134.5 million per Spotrac.com, guys like Campbell are playing for legacy, championships and a love of the game. He doesn’t need this. He wants this. And plenty of teams wanted him. It wasn’t just for his on-field production either. The University of Miami product has long been regarded as one of the best people and leaders in football, casting a locker room presence even larger than his 6-foot-8, 310-pound frame. He has been named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year and won the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. He runs the CRC, an established education and community mentorship program. This is the kind of guy every team could use. It’s part of why Baltimore hoped to still retain him despite having to initially cut him to make room for a Lamar Jackson offer. Jacksonville, meanwhile, was looking to get him back to where he recorded 31.5 sacks from 2017-2019. Additionally, Campbell had meetings set up with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills for later this week. And Detroit made it abundantly clear how much it wanted him to line up next to young pass rushing talents Aidan Hutchinson (9.5 sacks) and James Houston (8). "Oh, my gosh. I just keep watching [game footage],” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. “... He's just a force to be reckoned with. You put him in a closed end, you're not running over there. He can rush as a 3-technique, still, on third down. Man, he's got length, he's got size, he's still quick." Baltimore was home and Campbell noted how much he loved the city and franchise. The Bills have been Super Bowl contenders for the past couple years. The Jags won a playoff game this past season and like Buffalo have a talented young quarterback. The Jets and Lions are the most hyped up-and-coming teams in the league, with aspirations of deep playoff runs. And yet … it was not only the Falcons but the Falcons without hearing everyone’s best pitch or dragging the deal out. The recruiting pitch from Fontenot, Smith and team owner Arthur Blank was enough to close this early. Campbell told reporter Tiffany Blackmon that he felt the Falcons roster had improved so much that the team will “surprise some people this season.” Indeed, Atlanta has signed 11 free agents already this year, including defensive tackle David Onyemata, linebackers Kaden Elliss and Tae Davis, and Jessie Bates III and Mike Hughes for the secondary. They join a returning group that includes Grady Jarrett, Lorenzo Carter, Ta’Quon Graham and others. And they still are sitting on the No. 8 pick in next month’s NFL Draft. Atlanta has already named second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder the starter despite having played just four games as a rookie out of the University of Cincinnati. The Falcons don’t see the need to enter the Lamar Jackson frenzy. They are looking to win. Now. “We have a lot of belief in [Ridder], and we have a lot of belief in our team, our coaches and how we're going to develop people here and how we're going to play,” Fontenot said this week. “Teams win games, not individuals.” The hype for next season is about the Jets winning games and the Lions winning games and the Jaguars winning games and Buffalo continuing to win games. Big Calais Campbell surveyed all of that and chose Atlanta for one of his precious final seasons, if not his last. It assures nothing, but in a league where everyone has an opinion, this one speaks louder than most. The Falcons are coming, or so says CC’s actions, not just his words. YAHOOSPORTS
Falcons getting some positive press now and thats a good thing. Its interesting how other teams/coaches and players are speaking highly of the Falcons... and at this point, Im jumping on that bandwagon also. Im a huge fan of Desmond Rider... seen him play many games for Cinncy and I kinda had a feeling he was going to be a good one someday in the NFL. Hopefully that day has arrived. (besides, I drafted him on my fantasy team, lol)
Meanwhile, FootballOutsiders graded Atlanta's offseason as the worst in the NFC and tied with the Raiders for the worst in the NFL. This was last weekend, before the Calais Campbell and Scotty Miller signings, but still... D+ overall, D for having a coherent plan, D- for using resources well, and no team in the entire league gets a lower overall grade?? I think I'm gonna have to rant about that one on the main NFL board.
Falcons sign Josh Miles The team announced the signing of Josh Miles on Friday. It is a one-year deal and no other terms have been announced. Miles was a Cardinals seventh-round pick in 2019 and he appeared in seven games during his rookie season. He also played in 10 games during the 2021 season, but was waived with an injury designation ahead of last season. Miles saw time at tackle and on special teams in those appearances. Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary are entrenched as the starting tackles in Atlanta, but Chuma Edoga‘s departure has opened a reserve role for the Falcons. PFT
Sports Illustrated did their own article of free agency grades (so far) and liked Atlanta's offseason much better than that other article. What I found amusing in the SI article is that they listed Chuma Edoga as one of the main player losses for the Falcons (along with Mariota) and did not mention nickel corner Isaiah Oliver or any of the as yet unsigned free agents. Edoga signed with the Cowboys, and they listed him as one of the main free agent acquisitions for Dallas. I liked Edoga and would have liked to have kept him as a potential swing tackle. But seriously? The SI guy must be a huge Southern Cal fan. Edoga was a third round pick of the Jets in 2019. He started 8 games as a rookie, 4 games in his second year, none in his third year, and then was released at the start of the 2022 season. The Falcons picked him up off of waivers. He appeared in 2 games for Atlanta, starting 1 (as one of the fill-ins while Elijah Wilkinson was banged up). He signed a cheap one-year deal to join the Cowboys. It's hard to fathom anyone calling this a significant signing for Dallas or loss for Atlanta. As for Miles... he strikes me as a second interesting pickup for the line along with former Vikings prospect Kyle Hinton. They are both small-school prospects with strong athletic traits but who likely needed developmental time. They've spent a few seasons in other organizations and have showed promise. Hinton came up from the practice squad and got to play the season finale for the Vikings. The whole game was garbage time, but Minnesota gave him that opportunity rather than playing some other prospect. Miles already has more experience and has been used in the swing tackle role. The Cardinals likely moved on from him due to injury - the article mentioned he was waived with an injury designation before last season. It didn't mention that the waived-injured thing is the first step in putting a non-tenured player on IR. He actually spent the 2022 season on Arizona's IR list. They didn't actually release him - his rookie contract expired and he became a free agent. Now throw in the other rising prospects that Atlanta had last season. Tyler Vrabel (son of Titans coach Mike Vrabel) was an undrafted rookie signing who spent the year on the practice squad. He's listed as a tackle and worked at RT in camp and in the preseason games last year, but I think he has a better future at guard. Ryan Neuzil was an undrafted rookie in 2021 who spent that season on the practice squad at guard and returned for 2022 at center. Head coach Arthur Smith liked his leadership among the line prospects and referred to the preseason backup unit as "Neu's Crew". He got called up in midseason and was active on special teams for 9 games. If the drafted guys who have sometimes struggled (Jalen Mayfield, Matt Hennessy, Justin Shaffer) can't turn it around, there are lots of guys looking to step up and take their roster spots.
Calais Campbell: If Desmond Ridder develops, I won’t be surprised if we’re playing in late January It may be early April, but one of Atlanta’s new key defensive players is a believer in quarterback Desmond Ridder. During his introductory press conference on Monday, defensive lineman Calais Campbell told reporters that he liked what he saw when studying Atlanta’s offense from 2022, particularly from the club’s young QB. “If Ridder continues to develop [to] be who I think he can be, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re playing late in January and potentially February,” Campbell said, via Ashton Edmunds of the team’s website. The Falcons are going all-in with the second-year QB after selecting him in the third round of last year’s draft. Atlanta was 2-2 in Ridder’s four starts at the end of last season. Ridder completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 708 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He fumbled three times, losing two. With Atlanta declining to pursue Lamar Jackson and signing Taylor Heinicke to be the backup QB, Ridder’s development will be a significant factor as to whether or not Atlanta will contend in the NFC South. via; PFT
