Now or never for the Atlanta Falcons’ Quinn, Dimitroff and company

The Atlanta Falcons cuts started today and came fast and furious on the first day of free agency. The hammer came down hard Monday for four veteran players who got the ax.

Devonta Freeman, Desmond Trufant, Ty Sambrailo and Luke Stocker were part of the first batch of the Atlanta Falcons announced cuts. They also are choosing to move on without Justin Hardy for the time being.  It is evident that the Falcons have chosen to press the nuke button option on the roster, in order to free up cap space. There should be more cuts to come in the coming days and weeks.

Upper management and the coaching staff will either look like hero’s or buffoon’s once the 2020 season is over. The future is now for the Atlanta Falcons. It is officially do or die now for head coach Dan Quinn and staff, as well as general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

In reality, these four cuts on the first day of free agency were a necessity and had to be made. Any money the Falcons can free up in cap space will hopefully help the future of the team. All four players cut today were either making too much money and/or their production had fallen off significantly.

Trufant might be the lone exception with regards to productivity after having a fairly strong 2019 season. The entire theme of the 2020 Falcons season should be boom or bust. If it is a boom, then the Falcons will look like geniuses. If it is a complete bust, then it also might be looked at as great.

The Falcons should be looking to draft the eventual heir apparent to Matt Ryan in 2021, even if Ryan plays two or three more seasons. The reality of the situation is that the Falcons have dug themselves into a hole and must dig their way out of it, no matter how many years this takes. Another player to keep an eye out for is a defensive end, Allen Bailey. By cutting him, the Atlanta Falcons can save $3 million in cap space.

His role can be filled either by a younger and more productive player, whether this is a free agent or rookie draft pick. The Falcons should sign one or two free-agent defensive ends before cutting Bailey, just to assure that they have depth at that position.

With the Atlanta Falcons failing to make the playoffs in two straight seasons – 2019 and 2020 – it really is all or nothing. Quinn and Dimitroff have to be cognizant. There will no doubt be more moves in the way of cuts, trades and free-agent signings by the Falcons. The purge has hopefully just begun for the Falcons. The struggle against the salary cap is real and it is hell.