The trade deadline is closing in, and the Falcons find themselves in a strange spot at 3-5. They’ve had enough big moments to keep the door open, but the ugly losses make this a tough team to read, which leaves first-year GM Ian Cunningham with a real decision to make.
Cunningham’s first deadline on the job could go in a few different directions. He’s shown he’ll make a move when the right one comes along, but he also doesn’t seem eager to give up draft capital unless the fit is right.
That matters, especially after he’s already pulled off four trades. He’s willing to work the phones, but not just for the sake of activity.
What gives Atlanta some real flexibility is Cunningham’s background. He’s got ties all over the league from stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago, and he worked under Howie Roseman, Eric DeCosta and Ryan Poles.
He’s already dealt with two of those three. If he wants to make it a clean sweep, Baltimore is the obvious place to look, especially with his eight years alongside DeCosta.
That connection opens the door to a few possibilities with the 4-4 Ravens before the deadline hits.
One idea is Tua Tagovailoa. Atlanta doesn’t have much use for him at this point, even after Michael Penix Jr.’s rough day in Tampa.
Penix is still set to stay in the starting role for the rest of the season as long as he’s healthy, and the Falcons already brought in Andy Dalton a few weeks ago because they didn’t have much faith in Tagovailoa as the backup. If the plan is to keep Penix on the field, Tagovailoa is just sitting there without a clear path.
Baltimore, on the other hand, is in a mess under center. Lamar Jackson is out for the season with a thumb injury, Tyler Huntley is dealing with turf toe, and the quarterback room is down to undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, Austin Reed and Kedon Slovis.
None of that inspires much confidence. Tagovailoa would at least give them a veteran option, even if the fit behind that offensive line is a rough one.
Another name that makes sense is Rashod Bateman. Atlanta has already found some success with one former first-round wideout in Jahan Dotson, so adding another could help a receiver group that needs more depth.
Right now, Dotson and Drake London are the only outside wide receivers the Falcons can really count on, and that’s not enough. Bateman would give them another outside threat and make it easier to move London around the formation, especially with Zachariah Branch sidelined.
For Baltimore, the fit is less clear. The Ravens have younger receivers like Ja’Kobi Lane, Elijah Sarratt and Devontez Walker waiting for more chances, and Bateman’s role could be blocking some of those snaps behind Zay Flowers.
A move would also give Michael Penix Jr. another downfield target. Bateman, 26, also comes with a manageable contract, with the Falcons taking on just $1.11 million in dead cap.
The third option is cornerback Mike Hughes. Baltimore’s pass defense has been near the bottom of the league in passing yards per game allowed, and Marlon Humphrey hasn’t looked like himself. That leaves the Ravens in need of help on the back end, and Hughes could give them another body with some versatility.
Atlanta has cornerback depth it can use in a deal, with C.J. Henderson or Hughes as possible trade pieces.
Hughes feels like the likelier name to move. He can line up inside or outside, and while his coverage has been a problem, he does bring value as a tackler and run defender.
He also doesn’t have much of a future in Atlanta. Billy Bowman Jr. is set to start in the slot, with the Terrell brothers and Henderson on the outside. In Baltimore, though, Hughes would have a clearer path to playing time on a defense that could use what he brings.
In Other News...
Falcons Loss Raised A Bigger Concern Than Just The Weather
Heavy rain turned Sunday into a slog, but the weather was only part of what made Atlantas loss to Tampa Bay so unsettling. Michael Penix Jr. struggled through the conditions, and the Falcons never found much rhythm on offense, finishing with less than 100 rushing yards while the game tilted further and further away from them on the ground.
The bigger issue was how thoroughly Tampa Bay controlled the line of scrimmage. The Buccaneers leaned almost entirely on their run game and still found a way to dictate the afternoon, piling up 324 rushing yards against an Atlanta defense that had no answer for it. For a Falcons team trying to steady itself, the concern went beyond a wet field and into something much harder to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Have A Tua Tagovailoa Decision Fans Didnt Expect
The Falcons are already navigating a tough stretch after a significant loss, with Michael Penix Jr. now in place as the starting quarterback. In that kind of moment, every quarterback conversation around Atlanta gets louder, and Tua Tagovailoa has suddenly entered the picture as a name worth watching, even if only in a speculative sense.
The idea is less about Atlanta making a dramatic change at the position and more about how the rest of the league can create unexpected pressure points. Baltimores quarterback situation has been hit hard enough to make a trade framework for Tagovailoa at least worth discussing, which is why this has become one of those odd, unexpected storylines that could tug Atlanta into the middle of a bigger NFL scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Fans Should Resist One Easy Kirk Cousins Overreaction
The Falcons decision to move on from Kirk Cousins always figured to be judged through two lenses at once: what he still had left, and what Atlanta believed it needed at quarterback for the long haul. After signing him to a four-year contract, the team cut ties after two seasons and handed the offense to Michael Penix Jr., a move that was never going to be evaluated only by one quarterbacks stat line or one Sundays result.
Cousins has settled in well with the Raiders, and that alone is enough to stir second-guessing around Atlanta, especially with Penix turning in uneven performances and coming off a rough Week 8 outing. But the Falcons calculus was never just about the immediate numbers. It was about choosing a direction, accepting the growing pains that come with it, and resisting the urge to let one hot start elsewhere or one shaky game here rewrite the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]