We're just a couple of days away from the trade deadline, and the Atlanta Falcons are in a position where they can go several different ways. They can get aggressive and buy, embark on a fire-sale, or sit on their hands and have a quieter deadline--but it remains to be seen which direction they'll go.
The Falcons are just a half-game back of the NFC South lead, so Ian Cunningham is in an interesting predicament entering his first trade deadline as Atlanta's GM. He's always willing to make a move when the opportunity presents itself, but he's already been plenty active since taking over in January.
Ian Cunningham has already made four trades in his first 10 or so months on the job, and many of his deals have been made with other general managers he has close connections with or previously worked for, which includes Ryan Poles of the Bears and Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before ending up in Atlanta, Cunningham was worked under three current GMs across his time with the Ravens, Eagles, and Bears: Eric DeCosta in Baltimore, Roseman in Philly, and Poles in Chicago. We know he has connections across the NFL, and Philadelphia could be preparing for a deadline firesale.
Cunningham and Roseman have already made one trade since he was hired as the Falcons' GM, as they struck a deal that sent Sydney Brown to Atlanta and helped them come away with both Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr.---so it's safe to say that trade worked out in the Dirty Birds' favor.
And with the deadline looming, these three trades could be on the table if they opt to make a second trade with one another.
3 trades Falcons GM Ian Cunningham could make with his old friend Howie Roseman
1. Acquire WR Hollywood Brown
In terms of all of the needs the Falcons have that Cunnningham could address at the deadline, wide receiver is at or near the top of the list. They badly need receiver depth, as behind Drake London and Jahan Dotson, a trio of Zachariah Branch, Olamide Zaccheus, and Chris Blair is not going to cut it.
Branch is dealing with a hamstring injury, Zaccheus has been unplayable, and Blair is a practice-squad caliber WR. Atlanta could benefit from bringing in another downfield threat for Michael Penix Jr. and Marquise "Hollywood' Brown would be another field-stretcher who defenses can't afford to overloolk.
Brown is faster than Dotson and has a more diverse route tree, so having him be the WR3/slot guy until Branch is ready to take the reins would be a good decision. The 29-year-old may not have the burners he had in his prime, but he's a quality supporting option when he gets the ball consistently.
Hollywood has caught just four passes for 47 yards this season and is unlikely to carve out any sort of real role for this Eagles' offense, so it's safe to assume he's available and would likely be fairly cheap to acquire, so Cunningham should kick the tires for what can only be a low Day 3 pick.
2. Acquire CB Riq Woolen
This might be a bigger-ticket move than the Falcons may be prepared for, but the cornerback room has been an issue this season. A.J. Terrell has regressed,, Mike Hughes has no business seeing the field much, and outside of Avieon Terrell and maybe Billy Bowman Jr., they lack long-term CB pieces.
So if Cunningham wants to solve the issues in the secondary, he should look to Philadelphia's Riq Woolen. Woolen is set to be a free agent after the season, and given he has nearly 60 career PBUs, he's probably the best DB available at the deadline even if he'll command a pretty penny on a new deal.
However, the 27-year-old is tied for first among all cornerbacks in penalties with seven and has allowed a 107.2 passer rating when targeted this season, so there are red flags. He has some issues in coverage, but between his size, speed, and prowess as a tackler, Atlanta could be a place where he returns to his old form.
Woolen is expected to receive a lot of interest from contending teams like the Lions and Bills, but if the rumors are true and all he'd take to acquire is a Day 3 pick, the Falcons should be all over him. But they shouldn't overpay.
3. Trade CB C.J. Henderson
Lastly, C.J. Henderson has been an interesting player in Atlanta this season. He's finally looked like a player worth his former top-10 pick billing, but his future is uncertain. It feels like only a matter of time before rookie Avieon Terrell takes over as the primary starter on the outside next to his brother.
There's no denying Henderson has been a pleasant surprise, but he's set to be a free agent after the season and one of him or Mike Hughes is expendable. Frankly, either of them could make sense for this spot, but since Hendo is younger and better in coverage, he'd likely be more appealing to Howie.
The Eagles could use secondary help themselves. Woolen has beeen a liability and will likely he gone next season, Cooper DeJean has struggled in the slot, and they have given Quinyon Mitchell little help on the back-end, maybe they'd want to continue the career revival of a promising young corner.
Given many of Ian Cunningham's GM philosophies have been adopted from Howie Roseman, that could make for an interesting collision course if he pleases.
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