The Atlanta Falcons entered the offseason hoping Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski would finally give the franchise a clear direction. And for the most part, Falcons fans seemed excited about the change.
But now with Week 1 just two days away, that excitement has turned into something a little more complicated. Falcons fans aren't necessarily turning on Cunningham after his first offseason as the general manager. They simply aren't sure what to make of some of his decisions yet…
That became especially obvious after Atlanta finalized its first 53 man roster of the new era which included surprising things like keeping four quarterbacks while cutting players such as Tyler Goodson and Azeez Ojulari. Zach Harrison was another surprise cut before eventually returning to the practice squad.
The biggest source of uncertainty is sitting at the most important position on the roster. Atlanta named Tua Tagovailoa as its Week 1 starter over Michael Penix Jr., but that position is still a big question mark.
And the decision to carry four quarterbacks was even more interesting. Cunningham described it as "a little bit of an insurance policy," pointing to the injury histories and performances of Penix and Tagovailoa.
That's a reasonable explanation… But from a fan's perspective, it also makes you wonder: What exactly is Atlanta trying to build?
Ian Cunningham deserves more time to keep modeling this Falcons roster
There is another side to all of this, and Atlanta Falcons fans shouldn't ignore it. Ian Cunningham's first offseason hasn't been a disaster. In fact, some of his moves have been pretty great.
The Falcons added a similar face for Ian in defensive tackle Gervon Dexter in a trade with the Chicago Bears, adding to the armada of trades he's made which including bringing in Maason Smith, Wanya Morris, and Sydney Brown and trading Ruke Orhorhoro away.
Atlanta also made some good waiver claims like linebacker Yasir Abdullah, defensive lineman Jared Ivey and offensive tackle Cameron Williams. Even the Zach Harrison situation is more complicated than simply saying Cunningham made a miscalculated decision.
Atlanta waived Harrison after adding other players, but the former third-round pick cleared waivers and returned to the Falcons' practice squad. Cunningham also reportedly had a strong relationship with Harrison dating back to the executive's first months in Atlanta, making the decision more difficult internally.
The truth is, it's way too early to know whether these decisions were smart or mistakes.
If Penix or Tagovailoa takes control of the offense and Atlanta starts winning, the unusual roster decisions will become much easier to defend. If the quarterback situation becomes another source of instability, fans will naturally start looking back at the decisions made during Ian Cunningham's first offseason.
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