It's the Regime Change Shuffle. New GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith came aboard in 2021, and the purge of the former regime's players continues in 2022. The roster was already a revolving door for rent-a-player free agents even before Dan Quinn became the head coach, so it's not much of a surprise to see names like Duron Harmon, Tajae Sharpe and Josh Andrews be replaced by another round of one-year contracts. But the knife cuts deeper, with the new braintrust not hesitating at all to turn the page on Dimitroff's draft picks as well. They closed the book on Dimitroff's dismal 2017 draft class by opting not to resign Damontae Kazee and Brian Hill for 2021. Later they released Ito Smith (2018 fourth rounder), then cut ties with Deadrin Senat (2018 third rounder) when he was medically cleared in November. Two more 2018 draft picks, Foye Oluokun and Russell Gage, left in free agency this offseason. With Calvin Ridley suspended for the season, second rounder Isaiah Oliver is currently all that the team has to show for the 2018 draft. 2019 fourth rounders Kendall Sheffield and John Cominsky were both released in May. Two other 2019 draft picks were already gone before the end of the 2020 season, leaving only three players remaining from that draft. This season, and possibly this preseason, will be make-or-break for three more Dimitroff draft picks. RB Qadree Ollison was widely regarded as a likely UDFA candidate in 2019, but Dimitroff (prone to reach) drafted him in the fifth round. He has the physical running style that fits the team's current profile. But up to this point he hasn't broken through, getting only 44 total carries in three seasons. He bounced back and forth between the practice squad and the roster last season. The team declined to tender him as a restricted free agent this year but did sign him to a cheap contract - with no guarantees other than a $35k signing bonus. Meanwhile, they have signed Damien Williams and drafted Tyler Allgeier to join Cordarelle Patterson as the top three RBs. Ollison also has to be looking over his shoulder at fellow practice squad prospect Caleb Huntley, who showed enough to stick around for 2022. And to make things worse for Ollison, return man Avery Williams has now changed positions and is listed as a running back. Williams will not be competing directly with the other RBs for a roster spot, but the position change means an extra RB is already active on game days. That leaves Ollison without much playing time in 2022, and if he doesn't show development in his blocking and receiving skills in preseason, he might not make the roster at all. OT Kaleb McGary was part of the team's previous major overhaul of the offensive line in 2019. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said that the team would add more inside/power elements to their previous outside zone system. Along those lines, GM Thomas Dimitroff re-signed swing tackle Ty Sambrailo, signed free agents James Carpenter and Jamon Brown, signed backup prospect John Wetzel, drafted Chris Lindstrom in the first round, and then surprised everyone by trading up to take Kaleb McGary at the back end of the first round. And... the team continued to play mostly the same outside zone scheme. System fit is important, folks. The overhaul was a huge flop, and by 2021 the line was once again in need of a major overhaul. On the bright side, Chris Lindstrom has done well at right guard and was the only guard in the NFL to start every game last season without allowing a sack. The team has picked up his fifth year option for 2023. McGary hasn't fared so well at right tackle, particularly in pass blocking, and his option was not picked up. And now the team has added free agents Germain Ifedi and Elijah Wilkinson to compete for starting jobs on the offensive line. Both have experience at right tackle. Free agent prospects Rick Leonard and Colby Gossett are still around as well. Also noteworthy is that while Jalen Mayfield was forced into the starting role at left guard as a rookie last year, his natural position is tackle. And with the team drafting guard Justin Shaffer this year as a developmental prospect, Mayfield's future is more likely to be at tackle than at guard. Until now, McGary's starting job had been secure. Now he's facing real competition for the first time, with Germain Ifedi in particular getting some of the practice reps at right tackle with the first unit offense. He's also entering the final year of his contract. With journeymen free agents on all sides and other prospects on the rise, he's expendable. Time for him to wake up and prove he was worth a first round pick. As a side note, McGary's draft profile suggested he'd be better off moving to the interior, and his play last year reinforces that idea. He was typically beaten with inside/outside moves, not bulldozed. If Germain Ifedi looks set to take over the starting RT spot, I wonder if McGary might get a look at left guard. That would free up Jalen Mayfield to return to his natural tackle position, perhaps as the swing tackle and primary backup to Jake Matthews. DL Marlon Davidson was the team's second round pick in 2020, Dimitroff's final draft class. Up to this point the group has been successful, with punter Sterling Hofrichter (seventh round) the only casualty. Rookies had no offseason training program that year, and Davidson missed half of the regular season between injuries and time on the COVID reserve list. He did get in more snaps in 2021, though he missed six games. The team has no doubt about his potential and has not lost confidence in him at all. He was a four year starter at Auburn and is dedicated to improving his game. The main questions with him come down to system fit and position fit. He played defensive end at Auburn and was a pass rush specialist, frequently lining up outside the tackle in passing downs at 7-tech or 9-tech. Dimitroff selected him for Dan Quinn's 4-3 Under defensive scheme. But Dean Pees plays a base 3-4, and Davidson will be asked to generate his pass rush from the interior. That's still a work in progress, as Davidson only notched one sack last season. He didn't play run defense all that often at Auburn (on the field for barely half of their run defense snaps his senior year), is playing an unfamiliar position and hasn't refined his pass rush yet. He's a former second round pick, and this is year three. Fellow defensive line prospects John Cominsky and Deadrin Senat didn't get a fourth year to prove themselves to this regime. His main competition might be The Player To Be Named Later. The Falcons added veteran Vincent Taylor and also signed Eddie Goldman, who changed his mind about playing another season and retired. The team also has prospect Anthony Rush (originally Eagles UDFA in 2019) at nose tackle and last year's fifth round selection Ta'Quon Graham. The most likely scenario with the current roster is that Davidson rotates in behind Grady Jarrett, with Graham rotating in behind Vincent Taylor. The team will likely sign another nose tackle to start ahead of Rush, but they could easily add DE for competition the same way they are continuing to add extra players to the OL group. That would cut into the opportunities for Davidson or Graham to get on the field.
I can’t believe Calvin Ridley is suspended for a full season, while we sit here and contemplate about how long Watson will get if any after he had 24 sexual assault lawsuits against him. This league is really wacko. Ridley was out and couldn’t possibly effect the outcome of any games but gets this crazy suspension. Watson should be banned from the league permanently.
Update: one's in, one's out, and one is still on the bubble. Kaleb McGary had his best training camp and preseason of his career so far and has won the starting job at right tackle. He's finally looking like the player the Falcons thought they were getting when Dimitroff drafted him. It could be a preseason illusion, but if he falters or gets hurt, Germain Ifedi is here to step in at right tackle. The team also picked up Chuma Edoga off of waivers, and he's likely to take over the swing tackle role this season as Ifedi has no experience on the left side. Jalen Mayfield is a natural tackle, and losing the battle for the left guard spot might be his opportunity to transition back to tackle, as Colby Gossett is also available for depth at guard. Overall, the depth on the offensive line is a huge improvement compared to last season. Qadree Ollison had a solid preseason, but he was one of the casualties of the final roster cuts. I don't know if it was his choice or if the Falcons didn't offer a spot, but he joined the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys instead of the Falcons own practice squad. The team drafted Tyler Allgeier to take over the power back role, and prospect Caleb Huntley returns to the practice squad. All three backs had very strong showings in the three preseason games. It's a shame to see Ollison gone after such a good training camp, but since he's on the practice squad for Dallas rather than their roster, he's still a free agent that the Falcons could sign at any time if they need him. Marlon Davidson had injury and COVID issues in his first two seasons. It's happening again. He got banged up in practice, had arthroscopic knee surgery, and is opening the season on IR. My thought for him is that this season as a whole is a make-or-break year. I figured he was a near lock to make this roster (and injuries to so many other players sealed it). But this is NOT how he wanted to start his 2022 campaign. Ta'Quon Graham is starting at the DE spot opposite Grady Garrett. The team picked up Matt Dickerson (who played for Dean Pees in Tennessee) off of waivers. At least for now, Abdullah Anderson is taking Davidson's place on the roster. Anderson had a strong preseason, and Derrick Tangelo showed solid development throughout camp and is on the practice squad. So heading into week one, here's the scorecard for the last four Dimitroff drafts: 25 total picks. Only 9 of them (36%) are still in the organization. 3 of those are on reserve lists (2 IR, 1 suspended). Plus side: the other 6 are all potential starters.
And then there was one... Marlon Davidson has been released. I have not heard any official update on his knee, so I don't know for sure if he was medically cleared to play or if they released him from IR with an injury settlement. I'm guessing that his frequent injury history is the primary reason why the team is cutting ties. He's only the second player lost from the 2020 draft class. The first was punter Sterling Hofrichter, who was also injured and waived with an injury settlement before the 2021 season. Deion Jones was not part of the last four Dimitroff draft classes (2017-2020), but his trade closes the books on Atlanta's 2016 draft class. Atlanta still has left tackle Jake Matthews (first round) from the 2014 class and Grady Jarrett (fifth round) from 2015. No one remains from 2016 or 2017. Nickel corner Isaiah Oliver (on a one-year contract) and suspended receiver Calvin Ridley remain from 2018, while first round linemen Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary are the only players left from 2019.
