The Atlanta Falcons' silence in the first wave of free agency didn't come as a surprise, looking at the team's cap situation. Yes, moves can be made to open the needed space to rebuild the defense. The problem for Atlanta was the number of overpays happening on day one. It was a time to sit back and not overreact, understanding your roster and the needed patience to be able to fix all of the offseason issues you're facing.
However, there was a deal that should catch Atlanta's eye as a clear miss. Haason Reddick has agreed to a deal with the Tampa Bay Bucs agreeing to a one-year deal worth $14-million. This is exactly the type of player and price range the Falcons should have been looking at. Reddick has a high upside and is hitting free agency at his lowest possible value. Not only did the Falcons miss out on the obvious fit but Reddick will now join the established best team in the division.
Haason Reddick was the perfect Atlanta Falcons fit and now will join a division rival
A big piece of GM Terry Fontenot's patience is how everything has played out with quarterback Kirk Cousins. Fontenot understood the team would be playing the long game with the quarterback forcing the team to be creative with how they opened up cap space.
This meant allowing Drew Dalman to land in Chicago and making the tough decision of cutting Grady Jarrett. Atlanta is looking not only to protect this season's limited cap space but looking to the future as well. The team understands the need to work out extensions with Jessie Bates, Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Matthew Bergeron in the near future.
Atlanta needs to find ways to add draft picks and cheap value deals. Things they haven't done well over the last two offseasons. Signing Reddick was a chance to change this and is one of the few deals Atlanta fans have justifiable frustration over. The majority of early signings have been overpays, the fanbase should be happy to avoid.
Still, this is a painful miss that helps further establish the Bucs as division favorites. Atlanta has a long way to go this offseason if they hope to take the NFC South from the defending champs.