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ESPN grades the Atlanta Falcons' 2026 offseason
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- ESPN grades the Atlanta Falcons' 2026 offseason
The Atlanta Falcons made major organizational changes to kick off the 2026 NFL offseason, but there was only so much they could do without a first-round pick and minimal salary cap space. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan did their best to bring in affordable talent while retaining core players.
The team extended wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts . Both players are now among the highest-paid players at their respective positions. In terms of outside free agents, the Falcons signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year contract and added several affordable veterans.
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While Atlanta had to wait until the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft to make its first pick, the team was happy to land a first-round talent in Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell. Overall, the Falcons attempted to make the most out of their limited resources.
The writers over at ESPN seemed to agree, giving the Falcons a B-minus in their 2026 NFL offseason grades . ESPN's Seth Walder praised the team for extending London but questioned the Pitts deal.
"Just recently the Falcons also extended Pitts with a three-year, $54 million deal after franchise-tagging him earlier in the offseason," wrote Walder . "That's not an unreasonable number for the best tight ends in football, but is Pitts one of them? His 1.77 yards per route run last season was his best number over the past three seasons but also ranked only 10th among tight ends. But even with the two extensions, pass catcher remains a weakness for the Falcons. Next up on their depth chart are Jahan Dotson , Olamide Zaccheaus and third-round pick Zachariah Branch."
Considering that the Falcons still don't have a clear No. 2 wide receiver on the roster, this is a fair criticism. Dotson got paid like a No. 2 option, but his recent production says otherwise. The former first-round pick finished with less than 300 receiving yards for the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
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ESPN also had concerns over the Falcons' offensive line, highlighting Kaleb McGary 's recent retirement.
"Right tackle Kaleb McGary retired this offseason after missing all of 2025 with a knee injury," added Walder. "The Falcons brought in a couple of former Chiefs to replace him -- Jawaan Taylor (free agent) and Wanya Morris (trade) -- but it still could be a weak point on Atlanta's offensive line."
The Falcons will have to wait until training camp begins on July 29 to prove just how good their offseason was (or wasn't).
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: ESPN grades the Atlanta Falcons' 2026 offseason
