The NFL trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that chaos is bound to ensue across the next 2+ weeks. It happens every year like clockwork The rumor mill is swirling, and right now it's unclear what role the Atlanta Falcons will play in what's coming.
It'll be Ian Cunningham's first trade deadline as a GM and Matt Ryan's first with his front office job, so the Falcons are going to have to evaluate how active they actually want to be. Cunningham has made his fair share of trades and isn't shy about finding ways to improve, so at the right price, anything should be on the table, but I don't think he's one to tap into his inner Les Snead and burn draft capital for the sake of it.
They're currently 3-4 and and could go either way at the deadline right now--especially given how open the NFC South is. After the Week 7 upset over the 49ers, they could be trending to be buyers prior to the deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 10, but still do have assets they could look to ship off. The fanbase wants this new regime to spend, but will they actually?
And while Atlanta doesn't have as much to offer in a fire sale compared to a team like the Chargers or Eagles, a mini-fire sale can hep Cunningham pick up more draft capital could see the Falcons look to trade the following three players--and no, this list will not and should not include Jessie Bates.
Who could the Atlanta Falcons try to move on from at the trade deadline?
QB Tua Tagovailaoa
You probably already expected that Tua Tagovailoa would be on this list, because this is another player who has had a decent amount of trade speculation follow them around this season. And frankly, he's never been more expendable and his on-field play wasn't encouraging either.
This coaching staff clearly doesn't trust Tua as evidenced by the Andy Dalton signing, and as long as Michael Penix Jr. is healthy, he'll remain he starting quarterback with the way he's been playing. The Falcons wouldn't have added backup competition if they were comfortable with the 28-year-old.
The question here is if anybody would want him, because I don't doubt that he could be a solid backup QB in this league for a while, but the demand isn't there right now. Even a seventh-rounder should be enough for Atlanta to pull the trigger on a trade for a guy who absolutely won't be back in 2027.
CB Mike Hughes
Mike Hughes has been a massive liability in coverage for the Falcons this season, as he's given up the second-most yards among cornerbacks and the fifth-most receptions. Teams just keep picking on him, and given this was also an issue last season, it's apparent he no longer belongs in a starting lineup.
Given the Falcons are got A.J. Terrell back from IR and C.J. Henderson and second-round rookie Avieon Terrell (who is leading all rookie CBs in passer rating allowed) have outplayed Hughes, the Dirty Birds have a lot of superior options on the outside, so for starters it's time to move him to the bench. And even though he can play the nickel, there's no need to hang up if someone calls.
And given they have a good amount of depth at cornerback, it's easy to think a trade could follow since his role diminished to just 17 snaps in the Week 7 win over the 49ers. And that with without both Terrell and Billy Bowman Jr.--so he only got work in the nickel and likely would've gotten no work if the secondary was fully healthy.
This might be wishful thinking because I doubt much interest would follow, but as a depth cornerback, I'm sure some contenders would be willing to bite for cheap since he's a good tackler.
WR Olamide Zaccheus
The Falcons have spent the better part of the season playing Olamide Zaccheus as their WR3, but that hasn't exactly gone according to plan. Drop issues have plagued him across the last couple of seasons, and it hasn't gotten any better, as his 18.2% drop rate is a career-high and he should surpass his five drops recorded in each of the last two seasons.
And it's not like he's getting earth-shattering usage either. He has just 11 targets and two of them were dropped. He's an absolute liability at this point, so Atlanta either needs to trade Zaccheus to a WR-needy team or phase him out of the starting lineup in favor of third-round pick Zachariah Branch.
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