At 3-4, the Falcons are in that awkward spot where the standings say one thing and the trade deadline says another. They’ve got a path in the NFC South, especially after knocking off the previously unbeaten 49ers, but that kind of win doesn’t automatically turn Atlanta into an all-in team.
A victory over the Bucs this weekend would bump the Falcons to 4-4, yet even that kind of .500 mark usually doesn’t inspire a front office to start tossing around premium draft picks. Atlanta is not operating like a locked-in contender, and there’s no sign the organization is ready to treat this deadline like a must-win moment.
That doesn’t mean the Falcons are guaranteed to move pieces out, either. Ian Cunningham appears willing to respond to whatever the market offers.
If there’s a real chance to move Tua Tagovailoa, he could entertain it. If a clean upgrade shows up at the right price, like Josh Downs, that would at least get serious consideration.
But a big swing for someone like Brian Thomas Jr. or Riq Woolen feels unlikely.
The biggest reason is Cunningham’s own track record. He has made it clear since his opening press conference that keeping draft capital matters, and his moves since being hired in January have followed that line of thinking. He’s made four player trades in 10 months, which is a healthy amount for this league, but not the kind of activity that suggests he’s itching to chase names at any cost.
Those four deals also tell a pretty specific story. Three of them worked.
The Wanya Morris trade did not, with Morris failing to survive roster cuts, but Atlanta barely paid for the miss, giving up a 2027 sixth-round pick and getting a seventh-rounder back. The club’s other trades have been even cleaner from a draft-capital standpoint.
Brown and Morris both came in moves built around pick swaps, so Atlanta didn’t really part with picks there. The Smith-Orhorhoro deal didn’t require draft capital at all. The only transaction that cost the Falcons a pick was the one for Gervon Dexter Sr., and even that was a relatively modest price: a fifth-rounder and Clark Phillips, who was going to get cut, for one of the defense’s best players before he later signed a $78 million extension.
That leaves Atlanta with a total net loss of just one draft pick across those four trades, and all of them involved Day 3 capital. That matters here because the players supposedly available now don’t look like the kind of targets worth giving up a 3 or a 4 for when the team is still just hanging around the race.
So the most likely outcome is a quiet deadline. The Falcons aren’t going to make moves just for the sake of activity, and this front office doesn’t seem built to force something flashy when the value isn’t there.
If the right deal appears, they’ll take it. If not, they’ll wait.
For anyone expecting Ian Cunningham to be busy on Nov. 10, disappointment is probably the safer bet.
In Other News...
Falcons Suddenly Have A James Pearce Jr. Decision That Could Matter Fast
James Pearce Jr. is nearing a return to the Falcons after serving an eight-game suspension, with the rookie pass rusher set to finish that stretch after the upcoming game against the Buccaneers. Atlanta took him in the first round in 2025, and his absence has left the defense waiting on a player the team clearly expected to matter quickly.
Kevin Stefanski said Pearce has complied with everything required during the suspension, but the Falcons still have a decision to make once he is back in the building. The bigger question now is how much they trust him right away, especially with his legal situation still hanging over the story after the February incident involving a former partner and law enforcement. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Is Turning Into A Real Falcons Question Week 8
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Penix now has nine touchdown passes and just one interception in his stretch as the starter, and the league has taken notice. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after that game, and he also landed 12th in the latest NFL.com quarterback rankings, right in the mix with some of the names Falcons fans know well. For a team still sorting out its long-term picture under center, every week like this makes the question a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Is Making The Falcons Look Right For Betting Big
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His latest statement came against San Francisco, where he caught his first touchdown of the season on a 21-yard throw from Michael Penix Jr. The connection between the two has been one of the more encouraging developments for Atlanta through the first part of the year, and it is helping the Falcons look increasingly smart for betting big on London when they did. [Read more 🡒]