Atlanta Falcons: Lessons learned from previous offseasons

The Successes

Despite the rampant failure rating of these offseasons, the Falcons have gotten lucky a few times and have added players that began to impact every game they played. Certain additions began to fix the gaping holes of the team and, some, strengthened the players around them, giving new fervor to Atlanta. And it led to quite a few victories some years.

Whether it was a reach at a running back position or a total buy-in for an All-Pro, Thomas Dimitroff and his team couldn’t miss in the early days and he quickly turned this city upside-down in a good way.

Over  last five years, the are only a few offseason acquisitions that warrant mentioning. And though the Falcons have tried to bring some big players in, their efforts have left a lot to be desired but these players have been the highlights for the Falcons in acquisitions… but, unfortunately, there weren’t too many.

Asante Samuel: Acquired in 2012. Possibly the best off-season moves under the Thomas Dimitroff era. In two seasons with Atlanta, he became a great shutdown corner for this defense amassing 5 interceptions in his first year with the “Dirty Birds”, and helping them into the postseason.

Dunta Robinson: Acquired in 2010. An unrestricted free agent signing that helped make the Falcons have a very good secondary. He was never one for turnovers, but continued to shut down the passing attack.

Devin Hester:  Signed in 2014. It’s hard to even mention him without giving him a great regard as he is probably the all-time greatest return specialist to ever play the game. He is a game-changer every time he has the ball in his hands on special teams.

Tony Gonzalez: Traded for in 2009. Nothing more to say except that he was the best tight end in franchise history as well as tops in history of the NFL. One of the greatest players to play his position.

Michael Turner: Signed in 2008. It’s hard to not love Michael “The Burner” Turner. He quickly became one of the best runningbacks in franchise history when he landed in Atlanta.

Dimitroff and the front office were very aggressive from the span of 2008-2012 and the results from the offseasons made for a great showing on the field as the Falcons became a power in the NFC. All of these players were pivotal in the playoff and division runs of these years and they all deserve to be remembered as some of the best off-season acquisitions for the Dimitroff era.

Next: The failures