The Atlanta Falcons are riding high after a statement of a Week 7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers where they ended San Francisco's perfect season and spoiled Raheem Morris' return to Atlanta--and speaking of Morris, he isn't familiar with many of the players on this roster anymore.
Through seven weeks, many of the offseason acquisitions Ian Cunningham brought in are paying dividends as the Falcons are sitting at 3-4 and in striking distance in the NFC South. He continues to distance himself from Morris and the past regime as he let several "Fontenot guys" leave last spring.
Atlanta's lack of cap space saw them let players such as Kaden Elliss, Tyler Allgeier, and Dee Alford walk in free agency, while Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney were among the players released by the new regime, which saw Cunningham turn to the bargain bin to successfully replace many of them.
So while the Falcons got the job done in Week 7, let's check in on how our favorite old friends have been doing both this week and on the season just like in our previous iterations of this list.
Note: David Onyemata is still on IR, Nate Landman (LA) is in the NFL's concussion protocol, and and Ruke Orhorhoro (JAX) and Dee Alford (BUF) were on bye this week
Checking in on how some of our favorite ex-Atlanta Falcons fared in Week 7
Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins got off to a hot start to his time with the Las Vegas Raiders, as they started 3-0 and were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. However, the Raiders have since lost four straight games as working with one of the NFL's best offensive minds in Klint Kubiak hasn't been enough to help him.
In Las Vegas' 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Cousins completed 26 of 44 pass attempts for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but it mostly came in garbage time as the Raiders trailed the Rams 28-6 at the end of the third quarter--so these numbers should be taken with a metric ton of salt.
Things have gotten so bad that Kubiak had to clarify to the media that the 38-year-old would remain the Raiders' starting QB. At least when they were winning they had a reason to start Kirko Chainz over No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, but now, there is not a single valid excuse for this.
Arizona Cardinals RB Tyler Allgeier
There is no player in the NFL who has suffered a bigger reality check than Tyler Allgeier. He left Atlanta thinking he deserved a chance to be an RB1, took $12.25 million over two years from the Arizona Cardinals, and watched as they turned around and used the No. 3 pick on Jeremiyah Love.
In the second straight week where he was supposedly the feature back in Love's absence due to the lingering effects of a high-ankle sprain, Allgeier again failed to capitalize as he was out-played by Bam Knight.
In the Cardinals' 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos, the 26-year-old amassed just eight carries for 19 yards (2.4 YPC), but he did step up as a pass-catcher, catching three passes for 30 yards in large part due to a 22-yard gain.
Unfortunately, he's running behind an Arizona OL that is absolutely awful so most of the time he's getting swallowed up in the backfield--but he's still generated some solid yards after contact.
New Orleans Saints LB Kaden Elliss
Kaden Elliss was probably the biggest name the Dirty Birds let go in free agency, and he returned to where it all began, signing back with the New Orleans Saints. And he'd been impactful through the first three weeks, but missed the last three games, including a loss to the Falcons, due to a calf injury.
However, Elliss finally made his return to the lineup in the Saints' 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris. He played every defensive snap for New Orleans yet had a lackluster statline, as he amassed just six tackles (four solo), where he made some nice plays but their run defense has some real isues.
And given the Falcons have seen both Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. break out, it's safe to say they don't regret letting him go.
Philadelphia Eagles EDGE Arnold Ebiketie
When he left Atlanta, Arnold Ebiketie signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, a team known for reviving the careers of forgotten pass-rushers. And given they have been decimated by injuries on the defensive line, they've been forced to turn to the former Penn State standout in recent weeks.
In the 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Ebiketie played 42 snaps, where he totaled two pressures, two stops, and three tackles. Those are solid numbers for a player who was supposed to play a rotational role--and given their season is practically over, he'll likely keep this role going forward.
Ebiketie has stepped up for the Eagles, but unfortunately, nobody else has.
New York Giants WR Darnell Mooney
Letting Darnell Mooney go has looked like one of Cunningham's better decisions of his first offseason, which is partly because Jahan Dotson has been great (and a much better fit) as Atlanta's WR2, and in Mooney's case, he really hasn't done very much with his opportunity to reunite with Matt Nagy with the New York Giants.
In the Giants' 27-21 overtime victory over the Houston Texans, Fly Me To The Mooney caught just one of three targets for four yards and also tacked on a three-yard cary. This was a team who lacks depth at wide receiver, yet he's still been unable to carve out any sort of role within their offense.
Darnell Mooney looks to have been lapped by third-round rookie Malachi Fields to be New York's WR2, and given Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely are the primary focal points of the offense, there hasn't been much usage to go around for him anyways--but it's not like he's done anything to help his case.
Chicago Bears DT Grady Jarrett
The Atlanta Falcons should be happy they let Grady Jarrett walk when they did because their defensive tackle room has been humming. Jarrett's former Bears teammate Gervon Dexter Sr. has been great, as has Brandon Dorlus while Maason Smith is making the Ruke Orhorhoro deal age well.
But Grady is proving he still has something left in the tank, as he had a nice performance in his return to Atlanta last weekend and built on that in Week 7, as in 41 snaps in the 30-24 win over the New England Patriots, he amassed three pressures and two QB hits of Drake Maye--not too shabby.
According to ESPN research, he ranks second among all defensive tackles (behind LaCale London) with a 47% run stop win rate, so it's nice to see the guy still thriving.
Dallas Cowboys RB Tyler Goodson
One of the more interesting players the Falcons let walk was a guy they signed this offseason. Tyler Goodson supposedly won Atlanta's RB3 job over Nate Carter and Cash Jones, and since Kevin Stefanski knew he would be buried behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. on the depth chart, he got cut.
Goodson was a victim of final roster cuts and was retained on the practice squad with the plan to elevate him when needed, but unfortunately, they never got the chance. He was promptly signed to the Dallas Cowboys' 53, where he quickly cemented himself as the RB2 behind Javonte Williams.
And in the Cowboys' 38-21 win over the Eagles, Goodson got some nice burn. He carried the ball 10 times for 38 yards in relief of Williams, including on a jet sweep, and had a 91-yard kick return touchdown called back for holding. It's safe to say he deserved to make this roster after all...
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