The Atlanta Falcons were relatively quiet during this year's free agency period, only signing middle-of-the-pack players like Leonard Floyd, Divine Deablo, and Morgan Fox.
Really, their biggest move was firing Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Lake and replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich.
Ulbrich came from the Jets, where he helped construct a strong defense that was headlined by its starting corners, one of which the Falcons are now wishing they had signed this offseason.
Falcons regret not aggressively pursuing CB D.J. Reed after Jalen Ramsey trade
The Falcons know they have one of the game's top cornerbacks in A.J. Terrell. Last year, they complemented him most of the year with veteran Mike Hughes.
Hughes played well enough to land a three-year, $18 million extension, but they shouldn't have stopped there.
D.J. Reed should've been aggressively pursued to help round out their cornerback position.
Reed signed a three-year, $48M deal with the Detroit Lions. It was a big deal worth $16M per year, but the Falcons needed his help and should've found a way to get a deal done.
He could've come in and given the Falcons one of the league's best one-two punches at cornerback.
Combine that with their A+ safeties and an upgraded, young front seven, and the defense would've been set.
This isn't to say Hughes isn't a good starter, he is, but Reed is a better, more stable player.
Not to mention, it would significantly change the dynamics of the position. The Falcons are one injury away from being in the swamp; having Hughes on the bench changes that.
The Falcons are now out of options to add a high-level starter after the Jalen Ramsey trade.
Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich have to hope that their starters stay healthy. Last year, they experienced a rash of injuries at the position leading into their game against the Broncos, and we all know how that turned out.