Atlanta Falcons made the right decision cutting Dante Fowler Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons made one of their more predictable moves of the off-season deciding to cut Dante Fowler Jr. this afternoon.  It was the only move considering Fowler’s lack of an impact defensively and the cap space he would have taken up next season for Atlanta.

Despite the fact he was Atlanta’s sack leader this past season Fowler only managed 4.5-sacks in another disappointing season. Two years after a great season with the Rams Fowler is set to hit the market yet again with a much smaller market. Having had a front seat to the Ram’s Super Bowl run there shouldn’t be anyone left wondering why Fowler’s production fell off a cliff in Atlanta.

Fowler is a rotational edge rusher who cannot impact the game consistently unless he has a player like Aaron Donald alongside him. Atlanta made the poor decision to sign Fowler after a career year alongside Donald and they have paid the price. Fowler could be just the first move Atlanta makes along a defensive line that must improve next season.

Moving on from Fowler was the right choice for an Atlanta Falcons team that can easily replace Fowler’s production

Fowler’s impact on the game is even lower than his 4.5-sacks might tell you. So often during the course of the season Fowler whiffed on a play or failed his assignment he is a player that was part of the problem in Atlanta and moving on from him will give them the chance to find a solution.

With plenty of first-round talent in the upcoming draft, Atlanta could opt to replace Fowler in the draft or attempt to bring in another free agent to help provide an edge rush. Regardless of the move, they make it is hard to see it not improving an Atlanta defensive line that was near the bottom of the league in every category. Moving on from Fowler and providing a bit more cap space can only make Atlanta better.