Atlanta Falcons: 5 reasons they just got a whole lot better

4) Day 1 of free agency gives them a clear path heading forward

The Atlanta Falcons had several holes that needed filling heading into free agency and they have filled at the very worst one of them after day 1. Signing Mack takes care of the center position for the foreseeable future but the other additions may not be long-term solutions.

Atlanta’s second biggest signee, Derrick Shelby at the very worst adds depth to the defensive end position but should pan out. Shelby should be a fairly large part of the Falcons’ 2016 pass rush and resigning Adrian Clayborn to a 2-year deal adds even more depth.

It’s still a pretty safe bet that the Falcons will use their first-round pick on an edge rusher despite signing two on day one of free agency. The defensive end position is far from being solved but at least we know what direction they are going in heading into day 2.

As far as the other needs go, it appears that he Falcons will fill their wide receiver need via free agency with Mohamed Sanu, but the need at strong safety is still question mark. They may decide to use a second or third round pick on a strong safety instead of signing. There aren’t any top-of-the-line strong safeties left after George Iloka re-signed with the Cincinnati Bengals so signing one wouldn’t be a long-term solution.

The Falcons are far from done, but seeing the crop of players they signed on day 1 leads everyone to believe that big things are soon to come from the Falcons.