FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The NFL's new league year begins on March 11, a date that has remained fixed on the offseason calendar and will not budge, even for teams that have undergone change at the highest levels like the Atlanta Falcons.

Ian Cunningham was officially announced as the team's general manager on January 29, joining head coach Kevin Stefanski and president of football Matt Ryan as the central figures in the Falcons' newest chapter. Six weeks separate the day they began working together and the beginning of free agency.

In a sit-down with the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Cunningham explained that he was grateful to be able to draw from the experience he gained during his earliest days with the Chicago Bears.

"Coming in, really Day 2 of [GM Ryan Poles'] tenure there, so I got a chance to see what it was like and be a part of that build," he said. "So, being able to come here, it allowed me to know what's important now."

Along with getting to know those with whom he would be working directly, Cunningham said a top priority was getting their scouting operations up and running. The Falcons held an "accelerated version" of their free agent meetings before getting into draft meetings ahead of the combine. These are the challenges new leadership across the NFL faces amid a nonstop competitive cycle.

However, this isn't Stefanski's first rodeo, either. He became an NFL head coach for the first time in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns and has been through this situation before. Plus, his first season in Atlanta likely won't take place in the midst of a pandemic.

Stefanski says he and the coaching staff have been watching tape "around the clock" to understand the roster before making tough decisions about its makeup. Some of those decisions have already begun.

Speaking with 92.9 the Game from the combine on Tuesday, Cunningham announced the Falcons would be releasing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins at the start of free agency. He also shared that the team would place the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts, keeping Atlanta's leading pass-catcher from 2025 in the fold for 2026.

Drake London, who was on pace to surpass 1,000 yards receiving before missing four games due to a PCL sprain, will be back on the fifth year of his rookie contract in 2026, and Darnell Mooney has one year remaining on his contract. The duo looked dynamic and dangerous in 2024, combining for 2,263 yards and 14 touchdowns, but they were unable to replicate that production in 2025, largely due to injuries. A bounce-back season from Mooney would make the Falcons a more explosive offense and draw attention away from London, Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson.

Even if Mooney returns to his 2024 form, Cunningham shared with Atlanta media members that he'd like to bolster roster depth this offseason. When asked about where the wide receiver position ranked among the team's priorities at the combine and during the offseason, Cunningham shed light on its importance.

"It's a premium position," he said. "I feel like at this event it's my job to look at every single position, but definitely going to make sure we evaluate the receivers as well."

London's role as the team's top wideout is unquestioned, and he has the kind of slot flexibility that today's offenses highly value. That prowess from the slot, coupled with the return of Pitts, whose versatility as a pass-catcher is one of the hallmarks of his game, means the Falcons can go in several different directions if they add to their receiver room.

The traditional way of thinking about a slot receiver — a Wes Welker or Jarvis Landry type player — has evolved as offenses have become increasingly creative and league rules have changed. That prototype is no longer the standard it once was, as Cunningham explained during his podium appearance at the combine.

"If you're looking for a vertical slot, a guy with speed, that's an instant accelerator, or a guy that's a build-up speed guy," he said. "Or, if you're looking for a crafty slot that can get in and out of breaks, option routes. It just depends on the scheme you're looking for. Actually, you want to find feel. See guys that can feel leverage, guys that know how to get open in different ways. I think the slot position is unique because it can be used in so many different ways, and it's not a one-size-fits-all."

Because there is no singular standard for certain receiver positions in the NFL, ESPN's Ben Solak believes any player the team adds could provide an indicator of how the Falcons' offense might look this fall.

"As we see them address wide receiver two here, that's going to give us a clue as to where they'd like to throw the football," Solak told the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network. Because if you go and you get yourself an Alec Pierce, and Alec Pierce is a shot player, he's a deep-play guy, right? If you get yourself a Jauan Jennings, that's more of your intermediate in-breaking physical guy. If you get yourself a Wandale Robinson, that's more of your screens guy. Romeo Doubs is an out-breaking guy. So, they've got a wide receiver two question and how they address it is going to tell us more about how they intend to distribute the targets."

According to Next Gen Stats, the Falcons threw to out-breaking routes 33.4% of the time during the 2025 season, which tied for the seventh-highest rate among NFL offenses. Conversely, they had the third-lowest rate of throws to in-breaking routes last year at 25.3%.

During the 2024 and 2025 seasons under Kevin Stefanski, the Browns threw a higher percentage of in-breaking routes than they did out-breaking routes, per Next Gen Stats. Coaches often discuss the importance of tailoring a team's approach to the players on the roster, so those statistics may have more to do with the personnel than the playbook.

Still, they can provide helpful insight into what kind of evolution we may see from Atlanta's offense this offseason.