The Falcons head into the stretch run with a surprising amount of draft capital and a massive pile of cap room, and that combination gives Ian Cunningham plenty of room to work.
Atlanta sits at 3-6, but the losses have not just hurt the record. They’ve also dragged the Falcons into the No. 10 slot in the NFL Draft because they’re losing strength-of-schedule tiebreakers. Right now, they’re positioned with a first-rounder, two second-round picks at No. 41 and No. 60 - with the No. 60 coming from Jacksonville - plus a third, a fourth, a pair of projected compensatory sixths and a seventh, according to Tankathon.
The extra picks are only part of the picture. After dealing safety Jessie Bates III and center Ryan Neuzil, Atlanta added a second-round pick in 2027 and two Day 3 selections in 2028. That gives the front office more ammunition for the long game, even before the next draft arrives.
And the money is the real eye-opener. The Falcons have $143 million in available cap space, according to Spotrac, which is $38 million more than the Arizona Cardinals, the team with the second-most room.
That gap is so large that there are 19 teams that don’t even have $38 million available for 2027 right now. Back in 2022, Atlanta was trimming salaries just to get draft picks signed.
This is a completely different operation now.
Cunningham inherited a roster that was already operating under tight financial limits when he was hired in January, and that shaped the team’s quiet approach in free agency. Jahan Dotson got the biggest deal of the bunch, and it was only two years for $15 million. Most of the rest of the additions came on one-year contracts.
The Falcons did use the draft to hit a couple of needs early, taking cornerback Avieon Terrell and wide receiver Zachariah Branch with their first two selections in April. They also found strong value later with linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr., who came off the board in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.
Now the front office has a clear shopping list. Offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver stand out as the biggest needs. Linebacker experience and another starting safety also matter, though those spots are generally cheaper to fill than the premium ones.
The biggest question, though, hasn’t changed: quarterback.
Michael Penix Jr. has flashed enough to look like a possible long-term answer, but the next eight games are going to matter. Atlanta needs to figure out whether he’s done enough to keep the team out of the quarterback market in 2027.
If the answer is yes, the Falcons can pour resources into building around him. If not, they may have to spend heavily to chase a potential franchise quarterback.
For now, the trade deadline didn’t shake up the offense, and that leaves Penix with a clean runway to make his case.
In Other News...
Falcons Defense Faces A Brutal Mahomes Problem This Week
Patrick Mahomes spent the week listed with an elbow strain and sprain, but he practiced fully and is expected to be out there in Week 10 when the Falcons meet the Chiefs. For Atlanta, that changes the conversation from whether Kansas City might be shorthanded to how much damage Mahomes can still do even while working through an injury, especially against a defense that has to be ready for the speed and rhythm of the Chiefs passing game.
The challenge gets even trickier because Kansas City does not need to lean on one thing to move the ball. Kenneth Walker III gives the Chiefs a strong ground element, while Mahomes and the passing attack can still stress a defense with quick throws and yards after the catch. For the Falcons, the problem is less about one matchup and more about surviving the full menu of what Kansas City can throw at them. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Bring Kicker Drama Into Falcons Game With Bigger Question Looming
Harrison Butkers recent run of missed field goals has become one of the quieter but more persistent issues hanging over Kansas City, with the veteran kicker coming up short in recent games against the Seahawks and Broncos. Even so, the Chiefs are not making a change just yet, and the situation now follows them into a matchup with Atlanta, where special teams could matter as much as anything else if the game stays tight.
Andy Reid is keeping Butker in the lineup for now, even as the Chiefs have added Justin Tucker to the practice squad and left the door open to a possible shakeup later. For the Falcons, it is the kind of subplot worth watching from afar, because a team that has been steady enough to keep its footing in the standings could still end up facing a very different kicking picture before long. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Drew A Hard Line In Their Rebuild
The Falcons were willing to make real moves at the NFL trade deadline, sending away key starters Jessie Bates III and Ryan Neuzil as they continue reshaping the roster. But the front office also made clear there is a difference between retooling and tearing it down, and some names were never part of the conversation in the same way. Atlantas approach suggests a rebuild with boundaries, not a full-scale purge.
One of those boundaries was Bijan Robinson. The Giants reportedly checked in on the running back, but Atlanta never seriously entertained the idea of moving him, a sign of how firmly the team views him as part of its long-term core. For a franchise trying to build around young talent, keeping Robinson out of the deadline churn says plenty about where the Falcons believe their foundation already is. [Read more 🡒]