The Atlanta Falcons didn't have the type of money this offseason that they had in previous seasons, much in thanks to the aged-like-milk Kirk Cousins contract.
Nevertheless, General Manager Terry Fontenot managed to skirt around the limitations and fix the glaring issues on the roster.
Let's look back and hand out grades for the biggest moves of the Falcons' offseason.
Grading the Atlanta Falcons' bigggest moves of the 2025 offseason
This might be an unpopular opinion, but hear me out. Leonard Floyd is a good player who managed 8.5 sacks last season; great for the Falcons, but it doesn't tell the whole story.
He had a poor pass rush win rate at 8.4%, and Pro Football Focus gave him sub-55 grades in overall, pass rush, and run defense—all ranking lower than 160th at the position.
That said, I get why they made the signing. They needed all the help they could get, it is a low-risk one-year deal, and he brings veteran leadership for the younger players.
This was an under-the-radar signing by the Falcons. The converted safety is entering the perfect scenario with Jeff Ulbrich as his coach.
Ulbrich has excelled at helping smaller linebackers flourish in his system. Deablo could be a breakout candidate as the offseason hype around him continues to grow.
Here is another signing that deserves more attention. Morgan Fox has been a quality lineman throughout his NFL career, putting up respectable sack numbers a few times (6 in 2020, 6.5 in 2022, and 5.5 in 2023).
For two-years, $5.5 million, the Falcons got a steal in free agency.
This is a move that is easy to go back and forth with. On one hand, the Falcons re-signed a veteran that they know and who has played well for them, but on the other, you are paying $18 million over three years for a corner who has brought no ball production (0 interceptions in 30 games w/ ATL) and little excitement.
Nevertheless, you can't deny that $6 million per year for a stable starting cornerback isn't good value.
It is still impossible to understand how Jalon Walker fell to pick No. 15.
Watch the tape, he is unbelievably strong for his size, athletic, versatile, and is an incredible leader. There is nothing he can't do, yet countless teams passed on him and let him stay in Georgia.
Credit to the Falcons for calling an audible and not overthinking it. Walker will completely change this defense.
It's no secret that the Atlanta Falcons knew they were going to end up with James Pearce Jr. What they didn't know was that it would come at pick No. 26.
The trade back into the first round was expensive, costing a 2026 first-round pick, depending on how you look at it. Read more on what I mean by that by clicking here.
The thing that is pulling this grade down just a little bit isn't the trade, it is the player.
No doubt, you see the talent that Pearce has; he is athletic and strong. That said, his bend isn't great, which is concerning for someone you hope will be a double-digit sack artist.
All in all, the approach of completely retooling the pass rush unit was sorely needed.