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Atlanta Falcons: Sports Illustrated issues a B grade for offseason moves

By Randy Gurzi

September 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn (left) and general manager Thomas Dimitroff (right) watch warm ups before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
September 18, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn (left) and general manager Thomas Dimitroff (right) watch warm ups before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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An offseason highlighted by signing defensive tackle Dontari Poe and drafting defensive end Takkarist McKinley, earned the Atlanta Falcons a passing grade according to Emily Kaplan of Sports Illustrated

After winning the NFC the Atlanta Falcons are hoping to take the final step and win the first championship in team history. To do so, they needed to make some tweaks to their roster. The good news is there was no massive overhaul needed as none of the big name stars were set to leave.

In the offseason Atlanta has really only lost fullback Patrick DiMarco and defensive end Dwight Freeney — although he’s planning to come back according to his recent interviews.

Related Story: Dwight Freeney: Value as a Mentor

To replace DiMarco, they have former Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman, and as an upgrade over the veteran Freeney, they drafted defensive end Takkarist McKinley. Some other moves included the highly publicized signing of nose tackle Dontari Poe and the underrated move of picking up defensive end Jack Crawford. Poe is well-known as a run stuffing tackle, but Crawford has proven to be a valuable rotational pass rusher with 7.5 sacks the past two seasons as a reserve for the Dallas Cowboys.

It has been a smart offseason, and the Falcons — especially general manager Thomas Dimitroff — have earned some praise for that. Recently Emily Kaplan of Sports Illustrated added to that praise giving the Dirty Birds a ‘B’ for their offseason moves.

"“Overall, it seemed Dimitroff didn’t push the panic button after the Super Bowl collapse. He barely touched the offense and made enough tweaks on defense to hope his players can repeat what they did in 2016, with a better finish.” — Emily Kaplan, Sports Illustrated"

Must Read: Atlanta Falcons: Most complete roster in NFC according to NFL writer Greg Rosenthal

We have yet to see how it all unfolds on the field, but as Kaplan pointed out, the Falcons didn’t freak out and blow the whole thing up. Instead they added some talent in needed spots and made sure to keep the core intact.

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