The Falcoholic
Who comes out of free agency primed for big things, and who might have questions about their role?
The dust is settling around free agency, with the Atlanta Falcons both unlikely to be done with signings and unlikely to make any major splashes before the 2025 NFL Draft.
That makes this a fine time to look at the roster and see who is in basically the same spot they were before free agency, who figures to have an expanded role or at least a very safe one, and who might see their role shrink or step into a pressure cooker situation. Here’s a look at every projected starter on the Falcons and where they fit in that arrow-based matrix with free agency quiet and the draft yet to begin.
While he was a major part of the passing game all season, he posted a career high in targets in the final week of the season with Penix throwing him the ball, exploding for 10 catches on 18 targets with 187 yards and two touchdowns. London had 22 of his 100 grabs on the season in the final three weeks of the season, and while Darnell Mooney’s absence at the end of the season turbocharged those tendencies, it’s obvious that the big, sure-handed target who works so well on the sidelines is going to be Penix’s favorite guy to throw to.
That means London’s career year in 2024 is likely just the floor of his 2025 production, assuming good health for all involved, and it’s why his arrow is pointing up.
If London is going to be Penix’s favorite, Mooney is going to be the beneficiary of Penix’s ability to touch any part of the field. The speedster managed to thrive even with a limited Kirk Cousins tossing him the ball in 2024, so it’s impossible not to daydream about him strolling into the end zone on some 40-to-50 yard bombs from Penix.
He got paid, he’s no longer the blind side protector, and he’s aging gracefully as the team’s ever-reliable left tackle and iron man. As the last player left from the team’s 2016 Super Bowl team and a likely future Ring of Honor inductee, Matthews is riding high at the moment, and hopefully will continue to be a quality starter this coming season.
At this point, the Falcons are either going to add an early round rookie as an unquestioned starter, or Neuzil is going to face competition for the job. Given their limited draft capital, it appears Neuzil is going to line up for a real shot at starting under center in 2025, which is better than he could have hoped for heading into this offseason.
It will be incumbent on him to prove he can handle that job and handle it well, naturally, but the fact that he has a shot at all bodes well for his chances...
