Ian Cunningham has made a strong impression early in his tenure as the Atlanta Falcons general manager. He built depth with limited cap space in free agency and then locked down four offensive pieces for the long term--but the limited cap space forced him to part with a fan favorite.
His decision to let veteran linebacker Kaden Elliss go was a mistake in the moment, and has only aged worse over time. So for as good as his start as been, it shouldn't prevent him from being called out for making a bad move--which came back to the surface in the wake of the Jalon Walker injury.
As you likely heard, rising star linebacker Jalon Walker tore his ACL and is out for the season. His unfortunate injury leaves a massive hole in Jeff Ulbrich's defense that could've been avoided by re-signing one of Ulbrich's favorite players., but instead, Cunningham deemed Elliss' price tag too steep.
Ian Cunningham could've avoided the Jalon Walker disaster by re-signing Kaden Elliss
Now, the Falcons will have to rely upon unproven young players in the wake of the Walker injury while Elliss plays for the heated rival New Orleans Saints. Not bringing back the veteran didn't make sense when it happened, and it still doesn't make sense even with the selection of two Day 3 prospects.
Certainly, spending money on Elliss would've cost more money. The Saints signed him to a three-year, $33 million deal with $23M guaranteed.
That isn't bad for last year's green dot, who started all 17 games and had 107 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. We heard all year how much his peers appreciated him; most notably, Ulbrich and Jessie Bates III talked glowingly about him.
Now, you don't have Walker, who figured to be a big piece in replacing his mentor. He would've done a little bit of everything -- play off-the-ball, rush the passer, and make heads spin on the other side. All eyes move to rookie Harold Perkins Jr. now. He is the closest player to the aforementioned names.
But what can you reasonably expect for the sixth-round rookie? He showed early in his LSU career that he can be a superstar at every level. However, there is a reason his production dropped off a cliff in his final two seasons, dropping him down draft boards.
The good news is that Ulbrich is coaching him. No one has done a better job at turning hybrid linebackers into superstars. It feels like he can do the same for the 6-foot, 223-pound defensive weapon.
But what if that doesn't happen? It would be no sweat if they still had Elliss. We shouldn't mince words; Cunningham messed up by not re-signing him. After seeing how willing he is to extend key pieces, it should've happened for the player you could argue has been the team's defensive MVP over the past few years.
Hopefully, someone can step up for a defense that looks to improve upon a strong 2025 campaign that's now set to miss both Jalon Walker and Kaden Elliss--because that's a tall task for Harold Perkins Jr.
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