ESPN’s Seth Walder saw a different version of the Falcons this offseason, and that matters.
For years, Atlanta has taken plenty of heat for the way it has handled roster-building, especially under former general manager Terry Fontenot. The criticism only grew louder when the Falcons kept missing the playoffs, and Walder was one of the most persistent skeptics. He was especially hard on Atlanta for using the No. 8 overall pick in 2023 on running back Bijan Robinson, a move that fit the modern argument against spending that high on a non-premium position.
This time, though, the Falcons got a much friendlier review. In Walder’s offseason grades for every NFL team, Atlanta landed a B- and finished tied for 16th. That was a clear step up from last season, when the Falcons were buried at 31st with a C- after Walder ripped the James Pearce Jr. trade.
The biggest reason for the better grade was simple: the quarterback move.
Walder liked Atlanta’s addition of Tua Tagovailoa the most, calling it a bargain. He wrote, "No matter your opinion of Tagovailoa, signing him was a bargain and a no-brainer for Atlanta, which needed a second quarterback," Walder wrote on ESPN.
"Incumbent Michael Penix Jr. is coming off ACL reconstruction surgery and was inconsistent when healthy. Both players are left-handed, which should ease the transition from one to the other."
The price tag is what makes it stand out. Tagovailoa is making less money than Easton Stick, and he’ll make less this season than Kirk Cousins made last year by halftime in Week 1. For a team short on cap space and without a first-round pick in a rough quarterback draft, getting an experienced backup for $1.2 million is the kind of move that can’t be ignored.
That view doesn’t line up with CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani, who wrote, "The Falcons made the puzzling decision to quickly sign Tua Tagovailoa."
Walder also supported Atlanta’s extension of wide receiver Drake London, another move that drew criticism elsewhere. He said, "It makes him the second-highest-paid wide receiver in the league behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but after accounting for cap inflation and comparing to past contracts, it's not a crazy figure to pay a high-end receiver who is a tier below the true elites," Walder wrote.
London still isn’t in the same tier as Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase, or Justin Jefferson, and quarterback inconsistency has played a part in that. Walder’s point was more about timing and market value: London is not likely to stay ahead of Chase and Jefferson once those players hit their next deals.
The one Atlanta move Walder didn’t buy was the extension for Kyle Pitts. Pitts had been set to play on the franchise tag, but instead got two years of guaranteed money that now makes him the third-highest-paid tight end in the league. Given the inconsistency Falcons fans have seen from Pitts over his first five seasons in Atlanta, that skepticism is easy to understand.
Taken together, the grade makes sense. The Falcons didn’t have much money to spend and didn’t have a first-round pick, so there was only so high this offseason could go. Still, the final verdict may end up being shaped by what happens at quarterback this fall.
For once, Walder’s read on Atlanta feels less like a shot at the franchise and more like a fair assessment of the roster work. Maybe this one really was about Terry Fontenot.
In Other News...
Falcons Rookie James Pearce Jr. Now Faces A Troubling New Layer
A troubling new layer has emerged for James Pearce Jr., the Falcons rookie whose off-field situation has already drawn plenty of attention. Newly released body camera video has added more context to the incident, showing the traffic stop, Pearce getting back into the car and the chase that followed in Doral, Florida, after he fled officers.
The case stems from a domestic dispute involving his ex-girlfriend, Rickea Jackson, and it carries multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. For Atlanta, the concern now goes beyond the legal headlines and into the uncertainty around a young player trying to settle into the NFL while his situation remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Camp Has An Undrafted Quarterback Worth Watching Closely
With OTAs in the rearview mirror and training camp set to open later this month, the Falcons are turning the page toward the real competition phase of the summer. Veterans are due in on July 28, rookies two days earlier, and among the 13 undrafted free agents Atlanta brought in, one name stands out as worth following closely: quarterback Jack Strand out of MSU-Moorhead. For a roster still sorting out depth behind the starter, any young passer who can make an early impression is going to get attention.
Strand arrives with the kind of backstory that tends to earn a longer look once camp pads go on. He put together a standout college run at the Division II level and now gets a shot to translate that production into an NFL opportunity, with his arm talent and fit in a pro system likely to be part of the evaluation. The challenge for Atlanta is straightforward enough: sort through the undrafted group, find which players can survive the jump in speed, and see whether Strand can stay in the conversation once the competition really starts. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Fans Have Every Reason To Enjoy Tampa Bays New Risk
The Falcons offensive overhaul this offseason left no shortage of fingerprints, and Zac Robinsons one-year run was among the biggest. Hired in 2024 to run Atlantas offense, Robinson never found the kind of adaptability the job demanded, and his struggles helped set off the broader coaching-staff shakeup that followed. For a fan base still sorting through what went wrong, seeing Robinson land quickly in Tampa Bay is the sort of twist that invites a second look.
There is at least some risk in the Buccaneers betting on him, even if theyre doing so from a different setting with different personnel. Atlantas offense never consistently matched the talent around it, and Michael Penix Jr. was deployed almost exclusively from shotgun and pistol before now beginning to work under center, a reminder of how much the system itself had to evolve. Falcons fans do not need to root against the move to understand the appeal of watching how it plays out, because if Robinsons next stop goes sideways too, the comparison back to Atlanta will be hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]