Atlanta Falcons Terry Fontenot was MIA at the Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Falcons did not make one move before the trade deadline. Not one. By doing absolutely nothing at the deadline, rookie general manager, Terry Fontenot, has indicated what you see is what you get. Let that sit for a moment, the Falcons are 3-4 and last in the NFC South while Mercedes Benz Stadium is nearly empty on game day. Clearly, fans have already given up on the team.

Was anyone else wondering what Fontenot was doing on deadline day. Was his phone off? Did he oversleep? His team has needs, and his team has pieces that other teams need. But instead of doing something to address the situation, one way or another, he did nothing.

As always, there is far more speculation about trades than trades in the NFL. Unlike other sports, players have to learn entirely new systems and complex playbooks. During Week 1’s embarrassing defeat by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Falcons demonstrated that even guys who have been with the team since the first day of training camp struggle to catch on right away. That said, it can be done. The Los Angeles Rams will have newly acquired Von Miller up to speed in no time.

Fontenot’s Falcons Should Have Been Sellers

But Atlanta should not have been concerned about getting players acclimated this season. They should have been selling at the deadline. It’s hard to admit, but if you’ve watched the Rams, the Arizona Cardinals, or the Baltimore Ravens, then you know this team is not at that standard. Therefore it’s implausible the Falcons will make the playoffs, and if they did get in, they are even more unlikely to win in the first round.

Suppose Fontenot showed that he is confident the team can make a run to get into the playoff. In that case, he needed to address the wide receiver position. It’s unknown when Calvin Ridley will return, if ever, and the number two receiver, Russel Gage, was invisible against the Carolina Panthers. You can’t expect Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts to do everything, and it’s unfair not to give Matt Ryan a serious deep threat.

On the flipside, Patterson has proven to be an incredible weapon who has lined up all over the field. There must’ve been interest in him at the deadline, and Atlanta should’ve been listening. Unfortunately, Patterson is only signed until the end of this season. There were only rumors around Hayden Hurst. The Kyle Pitts show has made Hurst expendable. At this point, Mike Davis could’ve brought in something for next season. But, again, the deadline came and went, and the roster remained the same.

I hope you liked what you saw to the couple of thousand fans who showed up at the last game. Unfortunately, you’ll be seeing much more of it unless Fortenot proves he believes in the current roster and addresses the needs through free agency ASAP.