3 Ways the Atlanta Falcons have botched the off-season
By Nick Halden
![ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 09: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons drops back to pass during the second quarter in the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 09: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons drops back to pass during the second quarter in the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fbloggingdirty-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1363693083-850x560-e38142b6b138e7a47e3cb5e3ad33232a777b04e45fdb452713d7beb5dbdd9260.jpg)
To say the Atlanta Falcons have had an underwhelming off-season thus far would be a vast understatement. From the start, Atlanta has had little but bad news for a franchise stuck in irrelevance despite residing in a wide-open NFC.
Atlanta’s off-season started off with the news that Calvin Ridley would be suspended for a full season due to betting on NFL games. Ridley did so while he was away from the Falcons for personal reasons during the 2021 season.
Ridley’s decision cost him a full season and leaves his future in the league up in the air. For Atlanta, this set the tone for the off-season they have had thus far.
The Atlanta Falcons front office has lacked commitment and transparency through the early stages of the off-season
To be clear it is only March, with the draft and plenty of free agency and trade options left Atlanta could turn their off-season around. However, considering the level they have bungled everything thus far it is hard to imagine drastic improvement from a front office that seems directionless despite committing to a rebuild.
Atlanta has managed to create unnecessary drama for themselves and their fans this off-season making head-scratching moves that haven’t pushed the team in the right direction. Here are three biggest mistakes Atlanta has made so far this off-season.