Ian Cunningham has earned plenty of credit early in his run as Atlanta Falcons general manager. He navigated free agency with limited cap space, added depth, and secured four offensive pieces for the long haul. But the money crunch also forced a painful call, and the decision to let veteran linebacker Kaden Elliss walk is looking worse by the day.
That choice was questionable when it happened. After Jalon Walker tore his ACL and was ruled out for the season, it now feels like a hole the Falcons might have been able to avoid. Instead of bringing back one of Jeff Ulbrich’s trusted players, Cunningham passed on Elliss because the price was too rich.
The Saints made that price clear, signing Elliss to a three-year, $33 million deal with $23M guaranteed. For a player who wore the green dot last season, started all 17 games, and finished with 107 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and an interception, that was a fair investment.
His value showed up beyond the box score, too. Ulbrich and Jessie Bates III both spoke highly of him all year.
Now Atlanta is left trying to patch things together after losing Walker, who was supposed to be a major part of the answer. He was expected to handle work off the ball, get after the passer, and create problems for offenses in a variety of ways. Instead, the Falcons are turning to rookie Harold Perkins Jr., the closest thing they have to Walker’s kind of versatility.
Perkins brings obvious intrigue. He flashed superstar ability at LSU early in his college career, but his production fell sharply over his final two seasons, which is why he slid in the draft. As a sixth-round rookie, there’s only so much certainty you can attach to him right now.
Ulbrich gives Atlanta some hope there. He has a strong track record with hybrid linebackers, and Perkins’ 6-foot, 223-pound frame gives the defense a player who could be molded into something more. But that’s still a projection, not a guarantee.
And that’s the problem. If Walker were healthy, and if Elliss were still in Atlanta, this would be a lot easier to manage.
Cunningham has done enough good work to deserve praise, but this one belongs in the loss column. For a defense trying to build on a strong 2025 campaign, losing both Walker and Elliss leaves a massive ask for Perkins and the young players behind him.
In Other News...
Tua Tagovailoa Just Turned Up The Heat In Falcons QB Battle
Tua Tagovailoa has quietly moved into the lead for the Falcons Week 1 quarterback job, with Michael Penix Jr. still working back from knee surgery and the competition unfolding through the final stretch of camp. Kevin Stefanski has spoken positively about both passers, but the team is waiting until after the preseason games to make any formal depth chart call, keeping the spotlight squarely on how each quarterback handles the reps that matter most.
Tagovailoas recent practice offered another sign that he is trending in the right direction after some early camp health concerns, even if the session did not get to run its full course. For Atlanta, the bigger picture is less about one hot day than whether the veteran can keep stacking them while Penix pushes to close the gap and force a tougher decision than the Falcons may have expected a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Defense Just Got A Needed Lift At The Perfect Time
The Falcons are getting a timely boost up front as training camp continues, with defensive tackle Zach Harrison set to rejoin the mix after opening camp on the active/non-football injury list. Harrison had been out while rehabbing a knee injury, leaving Atlanta to piece together reps along a defensive line that has already had its depth tested by other injuries around the roster.
His return matters because the Falcons had been leaning toward Harrison as a starting defensive tackle alongside Brandon Dorlus, and that pairing gives the front seven a little more stability at a position that can thin out quickly in August. With Jalon Walker and Jessie Bates also dealing with injuries, every healthy body counts, and Harrisons activation arrives at a moment when Atlanta could use some reinforcement just to keep camp on track. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Could Face A Costly Jessie Bates Decision Soon
The Falcons have spent the summer locking up the core of their offense, handing multi-year extensions to Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Matthew Bergeron while leaving the other side of the roster in a more uncertain spot. Jessie Bates is now in the final year of his contract, and with Atlanta carrying significant salary-cap space, the team has time to weigh whether it wants to keep the veteran safety in place long term or take a different route.
That uncertainty has only sharpened the attention on Bates, especially with outside speculation connecting him to San Francisco as a possible trade target. Atlanta has not made a decision on an extension or a move, and for now the situation hangs over a defense that has leaned on Bates since his arrival. How the Falcons handle it will say plenty about whether they view this as a roster to protect for the long haul or a chance to use a valuable piece to reshape the future. [Read more 🡒]