3 Players on the Atlanta Falcons cap that will play elsewhere

3. Dante Fowler Jr. $4.6-million

The signing of Fowler felt doomed from the start for a team that was absolutely desperate for a pass rusher. Whether in the draft or free agency Atlanta has a history of missing on pass rushers, sure there have been great pass rushers who played for the Falcons but never with consistency and they have been few and far between.

Fowler had a career year with the Rams benefitting from a system that left him as the third or fourth most dangerous pass rusher. Stepping in as the number one option for Atlanta set Fowler up for failure and he delivered. Whether it was failing to make a tackle or failing to ever get close Dante wasn’t an impact player for a defense that so badly needed one.

Moving off of him this season was unquestionably the right move for a team that needs a long-term answer at the position. It would be shocking if Atlanta doesn’t take a defensive lineman or an edge rusher in the first two rounds of the draft. Outside of Grady Jarrett who can you count on to get a stop or pressure the quarterback? Moving on from Fowler gives Atlanta the chance to find an answer and move on from one of the more regrettable signings in recent history.