The 2026 NFL Draft hasn't even been in the books for a week and the Atlanta Falcons are already taking no prisoner. After claiming their first roster victim of the draft class earlier this week, the. Falcons are shaking things up in the facility in a different way-- and one that'll affect the front office.
Atlanta is reportedly parting ways with three scouts and one scouting assistant, but their biggest move was parting ways with senior director of football administration Chris Olsen, who managed the salary cap. And Ian Cunningham quickly hired his replacement in Philadelphia's Bryce Johnston.
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Johnston will lead the Falcons' salary cap strategy, serve as the team's lead contract negotiator, and will be a key advisor for Cunningham and Matt Ryan for roster building and long-term strategy. And his official title will be Senior VP of Football Administration and Senior Personnel Executive, a bump from Olsen's title.
Ian Cunningham is getting rid of the final remnants of Terry Fontenot in Atlanta
Johnston was a key lieutenant with the Eagles under longtime GM Howie Roseman, where he played a key role in salary cap management. But the most interesting thing about hiring Johnston is the elephant in the room knowing he'll lead extension negotiations with Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts.
Under a new regime, front office changes like this are expected after the NFL Draft. Since they were only hired in late January, Cunningham, Ryan, and Stefanski realistically wouldn't be able to replace most of the scouting staff with months to spare until the 2026 Draft and still be ahead of the 8-ball.
The old scouting staff did all the homework before this draft, and Cunningham and Ryan know they couldn't afford to lose that. However, they have plenty of wiggle room to make all the front office changes they could want before the 2027 NFL Draft, since scouting for that class has yet to begin.
The names of the scouts being replaced are as follows:
- Alex Brown
- Shepley Heald
- Ben Martinez
- Shelly Harvey (scouting assistant)
This is Cunningham's vision. He's being given the freedom to run things how he sees fit, so why would he want to keep all of Terry Fontenot's scouts? Even Ryan and Stefanski have proven that they are nothing like Fontenot, so it's time to erase all remnants of Atlanta's past regime with these moves.
It's time for him to fulfill his vision with his own staff in the front office, so despite the timing, replacing Olsen with Johnson and Cunningham bringing in his own scouts is just another step into a new era for the Dirty Birds.
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