3. Cut David Onyemata
All of the same reasoning applies here with the notable exception of the history and emotion attached to Onyemata. It isn't as if the lineman has done anything wrong or had a horrible season. It is simply a reality of a brutal league when a unit is struggling and you're in a bad cap situation. If the Falcons had simply rolled with Penix in the 2024 season and hadn't signed Kirk Cousins, the team isn't having this debate.
Onyemata is still playing at a high enough level to accept his cap hit if the Falcons hadn't backed themselves into a corner. It is why the quarterback situation continues to be such a frustration. The team had every chance to build out the defense and draft Penix. Opting to spend the money on Cousins and still draft a rookie quarterback was a bad call.
One that is now going to cost the Falcons key veteran pieces with the most obvious of those being Onyemata. Atlanta must make some difficult decisions not only to rebuild the defense but to find the needed space to accomplish this.