2016 NFL Free Agency: 5 teams that should sign Eric Berry

If Eric Berry wants to leave the AFC all together and play for a team contending for a playoff spot in 2016 in the NFC, he may look no further than suiting up to play for his hometown Atlanta Falcons. Though Berry played collegiately in Knoxville for the SEC’s Tennessee Volunteers, he grew up in Fairburn, Georgia, right in the heart of Falcons country.

While the Falcons’ bigger of its two secondary needs is at strong safety as opposed to free safety, head coach Dan Quinn would certainly like to add an All-Pro to his up-and-coming defensive backfield with Atlanta. Quinn already has a Pro Bowl shutdown corner in Desmond Trufant and another corner on the rise in Robert Alford heading into year four.

Should the Falcons look to lock up Berry on a free agent deal into his early 30s, the Falcons could have the corps necessary for Quinn to bring a Legion of Boom vibe in the Atlanta secondary to the Dirty South. This is the area of the Falcons’ defense that is most likely to go from good to great in 2016. With Berry in the mix, the Falcons’ secondary could ascend from good to elite in just one offseason.

Atlanta doesn’t have a ton of cap space — 16th in the NFL at $30.6 million — however the Falcons do have a general manager in Thomas Dimitroff that is more than willing to spend big in free agency to hopefully make a big splash for his football team. While many of Dimitroff’s recent free agent splashes have not panned out, at all, choosing to go after Georgia native Berry to amplify an already strong secondary seems like a signing he could certainly pull off.

Next: 2. Jacksonville Jaguars