The Atlanta Falcons are ready to make moves in free agency. The team has been releasing several players to make room for at least one marquee player in 2014. General manager Thomas Dimitroff has made defense a priority for the Falcons and he has several players in mind.
The Falcons have released Asante Samuel and Stephen Nicholas creating cap space. Thomas DeCoud is on his way out which saves even more cap space. The team will also save around $7 million when Tony Gonzalez is officially retired. The team plans on signing Roddy White and Justin Blalock to more cap-friendly contract which leaves them with around $26.7 million in salary cap space to work with and could end up with even more when other deals and releases are finalized.
With that added cap space, who will the Falcons target? The first player up is Jairus Byrd. The Buffalo Bills opted not to franchise the safety and as contract negotiations stall, it appears the Pro Bowler is set to hit the market instead of re-signing.
According to Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report, Byrd is aiming to get a contract around $9 million per season. That explains why the Bills opted not to sign him in any way. However, those contract demands do not seem to be turning other teams away. Atlanta is ready to get their hands on the safety the second free agency officially begins.
The three-time Pro Bowler would be huge in the Falcons' backfield given the release of Samuel and DeCoud. Byrd is the eighth ranked safety in the league according to ProFootballTalk.com. Given the lack of defense the Falcons displayed last year, Byrd would be worth the money.
Another option for the Falcons is cornerback Champ Bailey who was just released by the Denver Broncos. Bailey is a long-time veteran who insists he is not ready to retire just yet. Bailey said he is open to changing positions if it means he can continue playing. Like Charles Woodson, Bailey could switch to safety which would fit for the Falcons. Bailey has a strong history in the state of Georgia. He had a standout college career with the Bulldogs and he could be interested in finishing out his career in the South.
Bailey will be cheaper than Byrd as far as contracts go and he could play both cornerback and safety. If the Falcons play their cards right, they could try and sign both players. With how non-competitive Atlanta was on defense last season, they need all the help they can get.