2016 NFL offseason: Atlanta Falcons needs
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons enter the 2016 NFL offseason with little room for error after an 8-8 season.
The upcoming 2016 season is an important year for the Atlanta Falcons’ front office. This will be the ninth season that general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been at the helm. Under Dimitroff’s watch since 2008, the Falcons have made the NFC Playoffs four times, but have failed to reach the postseason each of the last three years by not posting a winning record.
Dimitroff and his staff’s jobs are on the line entering the 2016 NFL offseason, as poor mid-round draft selections and questionable signings of overpriced and declining free agents have plagued the Falcons’ depth the last several seasons.
Atlanta needs to have extreme focus this offseason, as the Falcons only have five draft picks in the 2016 NFL Draft and are only $26.5 million or so under the NFL salary cap for 2016. Atlanta had to forfeit its fifth-round pick because of the embarrassing Noisegate scandal which had the Falcons pumping in artificial crowd noise in 2014.
Atlanta’s sixth-round pick this season belongs to the Tennessee Titans, stemming from the late preseason trade the Falcons made with Tennessee to acquire starting left guard Andy Levitre. The Falcons have little money to work with in free agency even after cutting long-time strong safety William Moore and outside linebacker Justin Durant the day after Super Bowl 50.
Next: Looking at the draft...