The Atlanta Falcons made it a point to trade players on expiring contracts before the trade deadline, particularly those who they were unlikely to bring back. That was the primary trend from Ian Cunningham's first deadline as a general manager, as he wasn't exactly scared to make big moves.
Because of this mini-sale, the Falcons got a haul. They landed a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in return from the Jaguars for All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III and got a 2028 sixth and OG Andrew Vorhees from the Baltimore Ravens for Ryan Neuzil, which beats any comp pick return.
However, other guys on expiring deals, such as Tua Tagovailoa, C.J. Henderson, and Divine Deablo were not traded. At least Henderson proved himself as a possible long-term depth piece for the secondary and the QB market had almost no movement, but what's the excuse for keeping Deablo?
It seems like a mystery, but I don't have to be Nancy Drew to spell it out for you: no teams were interested in him. There were a lot of red flags about him, and if it meant tackling on a draft pick to give him up, a GM who loves draft picks as much as Cunningham was never going to go for that.
The Falcons likely had an incredibly tough time finding suitors for Divine Deablo
Atlanta has two rookie linebackers in Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. that have basically rendered Deablo expendable, so you'd think dealing him would be in the cards to open up more snaps for them down the stretch, but here's the thing: teams were scared off by his recent injury history.
The 28-year-old has missed two games with a forearm injury this season after an IR stint due to it last year, as he's been a fixture on the injury report. Ever since he returned last season, he hasn't shown that same explosiveness, so they have Daniels to play the same role at a fraction of the price tag.
Let's also remember that the Dirty Birds have been unable to stop the run across the last five games (32nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game allowed from Weeks 5-9), so trading away their best run defender for cheap would be... a choice-- although Daniels and Perkins have shown nice flashes.
Besides, they would have taken on almost $6 million in dead cap this season if he was moved, and that surely isn't worth it. And him passing a physical while playing with a club on his arm doesn't seem likely.
The first rule of making a trade in the NFL is you don't accept a trade for less than what a player is worth. The second rule is you need to have a suitor--and I doubt there was any, since Cunningham wouldn't have budged in not wanting to give up a pick to get a deal done or accepting a discount.
There was more than likely no trade market for Divine Deablo at the deadline because of the issues with his arm. I can't imagine much interest followed a player who has regressed compared to his 2025 self and can't stay healthy. It's a sad fall from a grace who once looked like the face of this defense.
That would limit your wiggle room in terms of possible trade interest when teams can sign him in. free agency in a couple of months.
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