5 Free agents the Atlanta Falcons must avoid this off-season

3. Dante Fowler Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons already made the mistake of bringing back Dante Fowler Jr. once they cannot afford to make that mistake again. Fowler was an abject failure of a signing when you look at the seasons he had with Atlanta. He failed to make an impact and struggled even when he managed to find his way into the backfield.

It seems Fowler has a specific skill set he has the ability to get close to making a play which is more than you can say for much of the Atlanta Falcons defense. However, Fowler struggled to bring down even quarterbacks not known for their ability to scramble. His inability to make the play when he got close is what stands out the most about Fowler’s time with the Falcons.

He didn’t play to the contract he was given, a contract that was given after Fowler had a career season. Even the much-maligned former Falcon Vic Beasley had more of an impact as a pass rusher than Fowler has.

Despite the fact it will be a player they are familiar with at a likely discount bringing back Fowler would be an all-time bad move. Fowler is only going to succeed if he has elite pass rushers around him. When he is the primary guy he isn’t going to be able to impact the game consistently. We have seen this play out on both teams Fowler was a part of that didn’t have Aaron Donald on the roster. There should be no questioning whether or not it is time to move on from Fowler.