The Atlanta Falcons are in need of a making a serious splash in free agency this offseason. With Dan Quinn officially in as head coach, he needs better player personnel in order to be successful. The Falcons have major holes on both sides of the ball and only some of it can be taken care of in the draft. That means offering players bigger contracts which could result in certain bubble players getting released as a result.
The cap causality players are never easy to determine, but anyone with a high cap hit and small role on the team will likely be gone in 2015. Quinn made it clear that one of the big priorities in the offseason is getting Julio Jones inked to a long-term contract before he has a chance to enter the final year of his deal. The wide receiver is expected to get a very big pay raise this offseason and will likely be a big salary cap hit. Pairing his pending contract with the deal assigned to Matt Ryan means the Falcons are already in a bit of a hole and will be forced to release at least one or two players come March.
SBNation's The Falcoholic details the players that could end up being cap casualties for the Falcons and one of them is wide receiver Harry Douglas. Outside of Jones, the entire Atlanta wide receiver corps is above 30. White is safe as the team intends to let him finish out his career as a franchise player. Devin Hester's versatility means he is safe. Douglas is on thin ice. Entering 2015, the slot wide receiver is set to $3.5 million. No one is denying the clutch player Douglas has been, having a breakout year in 2013 thanks to injuries to Jones and White. However, he is not a big play threat and the slot position has a lot of available talent that is younger and more athletic. Will Atlanta drop Douglas? Probably not, but there is a small chance.
Players likely to be released include Steven Jackson who has been a bust by all accounts in Atlanta. The veteran running back just simply has not been able to duplicate the success he had with the St. Louis Rams. Injuries have been an issue, but when healthy Jackson has lacked that burst of power while also struggling in run blocking for Ryan. Some believe Jackson just want not used right, but considering he is scheduled to earn $3.75 million this offseason, the running back is good as gone.
Justin Blalock and Jonathan Babineaux are two players with huge cap hits that should remain on the team regardless. Both players have a chance to flourish in Quinn's defense and could be solid veteran anchors to whichever young star Atlanta grabs. Most NFL mock drafts have the Falcons taking a pass rusher in the first round. Pairing a rookie with those two veterans could be highly successful for Atlanta.
