3. David Onyemata
The interior of Atlanta's defense was supposed to be one of the strongest points of the team. Instead, they were unable to get to the quarterback consistently and struggled against the run. Atlanta is paying top dollar for Onyemata and veteran Grady Jarrett. It is likely one or both players are cut this offseason to help open up roster space. Neither has played to the level expected over the last year.
Onyemata would make the most sense as a potential roster cut. Parting ways with the veteran would save the team around $8-million in cap space. That move alone would put the Falcons underneath the cap and give them a bit of room. They are currently dealing with negative cap space and are going to need to make 2-3 moves of note to be able to do anything in free agency.
With the defense struggling as badly as it did to end the season roster cuts will be easy to justify. It is hard to believe the unit can get any worse than what we watched against Carolina and Washington. Saving money and plugging in younger players makes sense and helps open up cap space to rebuild the secondary and pass rush.