At this point in the NFL season, nobody knows if the Atlanta Falcons are going to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. They're 3-4, and while they have the chance to make noise in the NFC South, after a big win over the previously-unbeaten 49ers, that doesn't mean they are actually going to.
The Falcons are closing in on the Panthers' lead for the division title, and while a win over the Bucs this weekend would help them improve to 4-4, teams with .500 records typically aren't very aggressive on the trade market. This team isn't a perennial Super Bowl contender or playoff lock like the Bears, 49ers, or Seahawks, so dealing a bunch of draft capital to compete would be premature.
But it also doesn't mean they're going to sell either. Ian Cunningham is going to take what the trade market gives him. if there's a chance to trade away Tua Tagovailoa, he very well may take it, but if he can land a clear upgrade to this team at the right price like Josh Downs, he is going to consider it.
Frankly, it could go either way right now, and given this will also be Cunningham's first trade deadline, it's hard to imagine Atlanta gets too aggressive for someone like Brian Thomas Jr. or Riq Woolen. But ultimately, it all comes down to what happens in Week 8, and even that may not change that much.
Ian Cunningham's history with the Atlanta Falcons' suggests it won't be an active trade deadline
Here's what we need to remember about Ian Cunningham: he is very selective about when he wants to make a deal. Dating back to his opening press conference, he discussed the importance of holding onto as much draft capital as possible, and even the trades he has made have stayed true that notion.
Since he was hired in January, Cunningham has made four player trades. Let's go over them.
- Acquired Wanya Morris from Kansas City
- Acquired Sydney Brown from Philadelphia
- Acquired Gervon Dexter from Chicago for Clark Phillips III
- Acquired Maason Smith from Jacksonville for Ruke Orhorhoro
Four trades in 10 months is considered a lot in this business, so it feels safe to assume Atlanta could very well stand pat at the deadline regardless of the Week 8 result since they already made many of the upgrades they would've wanted to--and no need is pressing enough to have to address right now.
And these four trades, three have hit, as the Wanya Morris trade busted when he failed to even survive roster cuts--but it didn't matter. All the Falcons gave up was a 2027 sixth-round pick and got a seventh-rounder back, and it's worth noting there are some trends emerging with these trades.
The Falcons acquired Brown and Morris in deals involving pick swaps, so they didn't lose any picks, and no draft capital was involved in the Smith-Orhorhoro swap. The only trade where they gave up a pick was for Gervon Dexter Sr., where they gave up a fifth-rounder and Clark Phillips--who was going to get cut--for one of the defense's best players who was later signed to a $78 million extension.
In four trades, that's the net loss of just one draft pick, and all of these deals involved Day 3 capital. None of the players being dangled out there right are worth any more than that, and I find it hard to believe Cunningham and Matt Ryan want to deal a 3 or a 4 when the Falcons are just in the hunt. If anything, they'll wait it out now and be more active this coming offseasoni.
Based off of all of this Falcons aren't going to make trades just to say they made a trade. That's not how this new regime operates. They would rather make the right move and keep things small rather than swing for the fences, and if the right opportunity to make a trade presents itself, they'll do it.
Regardless of if they win or lose to the Bucs this weekend, the Atlanta Falcons aren't in position to be these uber-aggressive buyers at the trade deadline, so any Falcons fan expecting a lot of movement from Ian Cunningham on Nov. 10 is going to be disappointed.
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