FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Before the first weekend of the new league year arrived, the Atlanta Falcons had acquired 11 free agents. It was a clear sign the team is taking a proactive approach to augmenting its roster under new head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham.
Heading into free agency, the Falcons sought to improve roster depth and supplement their core offensive and defensive pieces with proven NFL talent. In a 17-game season where injuries are simply a fact of life, the best teams don't only have premier top-end talent, they have quality players throughout the depth chart.
"We really went into this free agency looking to elevate our floor," Cunningham said. "Adding depth pieces, but also players that have had starting experience that could start and that have shown that they're able to start in this league. … We're happy that we were able to get the players that we were able to acquire the last few days. We were really looking for value across the fronts and throughout the roster."
There is no shared road the Falcons' free agent class traveled to get to Atlanta.
Some, like wide receiver Jahan Dotson and defensive end Azeez Ojulari, were star players at big-time college programs who became high draft picks. Others, like undrafted free agent Chris Williams and sixth-round pick Corey Levin, have proven their worth in the trenches and have connections to members of the Falcons' coaching staff.
The organization sought to be financially conscious in adding to its roster this offseason, and even the acquisitions of well-known players like Austin Hooper and Tua Tagovailoa fit into that approach. According to Spotrac, many of the deals signed thus far have been for one year, incentivizing the players to make an impact and improve their future prospects.
"Giving guys a chance to come here, compete, play meaningful snaps to potentially help them in their career, but also, most importantly, help us this season," Cunningham said. "That definitely went into some of the decision-making and quite frankly, just the limited cap space that we had, we had to be strategic with some of those moves."
The Falcons have been on the cusp of reaching the playoffs in recent seasons and finished with the same record as both the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025. However, they finished third in the division standings due to NFL tiebreaker rules.
In a league where one-score games are commonplace and a division as tightly contested as the NFC South, the line between reaching the postseason and watching from home can be razor-thin.
The moves in this first wave of free agency were made to push Atlanta past that line.
"For the fans, I'm excited," Cunningham said. "We all are excited. We feel like we got better this week. Like I said, we've elevated our floor, but we've also got players that are coming in here ready to prove themselves, to showcase their ability and help our team for the now and in the future."
