While the Atlanta Falcons defense and Kirk Cousins throwing to the wrong team are easy targets these aren't the reasons for the team's recent slumps. It is by design that this team has hit a mid-season wall they simply cannot find a way past. If you're looking for the answer to this team's struggles and missteps the answer begins and ends in the front office with GM Terry Fontenot.
To be fair to the Atlanta GM let's start by pointing out the free agent homeruns the Falcons have hit. Jessie Bates, Mike Hughes, Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Ray-Ray McCloud have all be unquestionably hits. However, getting a handful of positions right doesn't make up for the wasted draft picks and poor offseason. A hot start was able to cover up a lot of issues Atlanta's front office willfully ignored despite the team's obvious chance to take control of the NFC South.
Terry Fontenot's draft history and inability to fix the pass rush have defined Atlanta's season thus far
Any Atlanta Falcons fan or well studied NFL fan understood this team's biggest issue heading into the offseason. It was the reason the Falcons were favored to take an edge rusher in the draft's first round after signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. With the quarterback position answered the team's biggest struggle was far too obvious to be ignored, this team needed someone to get to the quarterback.
With Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell departing in free agency a bad pass rush had gotten weaker. There simply wasn't a reason to believe Arnold Ebiketie and Lorenzo Carter could get the job done. And yet this is exactly what the Atlanta front office chose to move forward with signing zero pass rushers and spending their first two picks on depth pieces.
A typical approach for a front office that has been objectively awful at hitting on draft picks. The ability to land a receiver or back in the first-round doesn't excuse the myriad of misses before and after you selected Drake London and Bijan Robinson.
The Falcons understood their issues rushing the passer and the need to create turnovers and did nothing to fix the problem. Being content to load up the offense and hoping Kirk Cousins and Bijan Robinson would carry them.
Atlanta's midseason slump is frustrating not because of how it has happened but the why behind it. This team in typical franchise fashion is fumbling away a golden chance to take the NFC South and go on a surprise playoff run. The blame for the team's wobbly performance directly lands on a front office that cannot draft and refused to address the team's biggest problem.
Perhaps the Falcons made a mistake not sending Terry Fontenot out the door when the team parted ways with former head coach Arthur Smith. Looking at the roster construction and this year's rookie class it is hard to believe there are many who could have done any worse.
Fontenot's inability to bring in draft picks that make an impact and refusal to fix the pass rush are both firable offenses alone. No matter what the reasoning is behind Atlanta's misses and offseason failures you simply cannot defend a GM who bears direct blame for not giving this team their best chance to win a division begging Atlanta to take control.