The Atlanta Falcons still have a ton of salary cap space to work with which is leaving many fans to wonder what exactly the team is waiting for. After failing to really sign a marquee player in free agency, the Falcons still have holes to fill on the roster and money left to do it. With the NFL Draft less than a month away, are there still players left to target on the open market?
According to OverTheCap.com, the Falcons will likely take up around $2.77 million in cap space to sign their rookies. Regardless of how many people Atlanta drafts and signs afterwards, rookies come cheap which means the team has a large amount of money to burn. Head coach Dan Quinn made it clear that the Falcons were relatively done in free agency, but there are still players left to look at for help.
While Atlanta would be wise to look at market options, the team will use a good chunk of that money to re-sign Julio Jones. It is the only logical explanation as to why Atlanta still has so much space to fill. The wide receiver is entering the final year of his contract and is waiting for his pay day. According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, negations have not begun with Jones, but a deal is expected to get finalized after both Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff expressed their desire to keep the receiver around.
The difficulty with Jones is deciding on a number likely with the guaranteed money. Injury history is not helping his case and could factor into the contract terms. Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are also waiting on new deals and one receiver will set the tone for the others as everyone is waiting for a team to make a move.
In the meantime, there are players that will come cheap for Atlanta. The running back position will be a priority as Devonta Freeman and Antone Smith are the lone backs after Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers left. Knowshon Moreno, Stevan Ridley and Pierre Thomas are all sitting around and would come for cheap. The wide receiver position is also a concern after the departure of Harry Douglas. However, the Falcons will target that in the draft in an effort to get young. Jones is the only receiver under 30 and players like Roddy White and Eric Weems will not be around for long.
Atlanta is focusing on the draft, bringing in players like Vic Beasley, Nick Marshall and Dante Fowler for workouts. Jones will get his contract, but that means money is still available to spend. Atlanta would be wise to at least target a few players to potentially bring on late in the offseason.
