Unless major changes are made in the coming weeks, the Atlanta Falcons won’t be signing any big-name free agents in 2025. With minimal cap space and Kirk Cousins‘ contract complicating things, the team has limited options.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot needs to find a way to improve this roster without breaking the bank. The 2025 NFL draft is one option, but it will take more than a few rookies to fill the team’s many holes on defense.
Linebackers Matthew Judon and Lorenzo Carter are set to hit free agency this offseason, which creates an even bigger potential problem for the pass rush in 2025. Atlanta ranked 31st in the NFL with 31 sacks last season.
So where will the cash-strapped front office look for defensive help? CBS Sports‘ Jordan Dajani suggested the Falcons look behind enemy lines and sign Saints edge rusher Chase Young.
In his one season with the Saints, the former Defensive Rookie of the Year recorded 5.5 sacks and a career-high 21 QB hits. Young registered 47 hurries and 66 pressures, according to PFF, which both ranked inside the top seven among pass rushers. Young is worth a multi-year deal, and shouldn’t come too expensive for the Falcons. — Jordan Dajani, CBS Sports
While Young said he’s open to returning to New Orleans, the former No. 2 overall pick also seems to be looking for stability in the form of a long-term deal.
“Young is open to a return to New Orleans, where he just played out a one-year deal — though a different defense could generate more sack opportunities for him,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He might opt for stability over last year’s prove-it-deal status coming off a serious neck injury.”
Whatever happens with Young in free agency, the Falcons need lots of help to improve a defense that ranked 23rd in both yards and points allowed last season.
In our latest seven-round Falcons mock draft, the team makes a splash by sending Kyle Pitts to Dallas and trading up for Marshall EDGE Mike Green. Click HERE to read the full mock draft!