Many were wondering why restricted free agent Ryan Neuzil hadn't signed his tender despite showing up for offseason activities.
Well, we now have our answer: Neuzil and the Atlanta Falcons were negotiating a new contract. They have agreed on a two-year deal that gives the projected starter a pay bump.
Atlanta Falcons secure their final hole at the start of OTAs
The Falcons would've loved to re-sign Drew Dalman, but the Chicago Bears offered him too much money to match.
Their next option was Dalman's backup and restricted free agent, Ryan Neuzil.
Bringing him back figured to be easy; extend an offer, watch him sign, and move forward. However, for better or worse, things didn't go that way.
Instead, Terry Fontenot agreed to negotiate a more traditional deal, and the two sides came to an agreement.
You love to see it. The last thing you want to see is a starter shine while getting paid pennies (at least, comparatively).
On the team side of things, you secure your starter for two years. If he balls out, he is under control for another year. It also gives them time to negotiate an extension.
If things don't go as planned, you aren't stuck in a bad situation and have time to find a replacement.
Hopefully, he will be the player we have seen in limited opportunities. Nothing is better than letting an expensive free agent go and replacing him with an under-the-radar player.
With all that being said, we cannot ignore the risk. The Falcons have a first-year starter at quarterback, and not having an elite center to help him along could be detrimental.
We have seen the importance of center play in the past; just look at what happened to the offense when Alex Mack joined the team back in 2016. The Dirty Birds had terrible center play the year before, and Mack linked up and helped them to a Super Bowl.
Nevertheless, we can move forward with the final starting spot being secured and under contract.