Sheldon Richardson rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By Jon Dove
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons face a tough situation as they try to bring back one of their young stars. Grady Jarrett is a pending free agent who is looking to score a big-money deal. The reports are that Jarrett and the Falcons are nowhere close to an agreement.
Losing Jarrett would create a major hole in the middle of the Falcons defense. He has developed into an excellent player who wreaks havoc in the offensive backfield. If he hits the open market there will be plenty of teams willing to meet his contract demands.
Atlanta has roughly $22 million in cap space which complicates the situation. Any new deal with Jarrett would eat up a lot of that available money. The Falcons have plenty of other need areas to address with what little money at their disposal.
Even using the franchise tag on Jarrett would be a bit of an issue. The defensive tackle franchise tag is set at just over $13 million for this season.
Sheldon Richardson could serve as a cheaper replacement should Jarrett move on to another team. Richardson isn’t the same type of player as Jarrett, but he does bring some upside to the table.
Atlanta’s overall depth at the position is a concern as Terrell McClain is also hitting the open market. This leaves only Jack Crawford and Deadrin Senat as the holdovers.