In terms of their philosophies as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, Ian Cunningham and Terry Fontenot could not be more different from one another. While Fontenot attended the Oprah school of handing out draft capital, Cunningham protects his picks like he's Liam Neeson in Taken.
Cunningham's Falcons are also much more strategic in the way they operate. They'll chase value on the market and settle for getting on base rather than hitting a home run with every move. And the same thing has shown up in trades or during the draft, this new front office knows what they're doing.
For all of the great moves the first-year GM has made in his first offseason in Atlanta, the best is getting rid of some Fontenot-era players. Ruke Orhorhoro. Kirk Cousins. But a new one is Casey Washington, whom the Falcons just released and was drafted by the prior regime back in 2024.
Ian Cunningham is trying to purge the Falcons of Fontenot-era players
If you wanted me to list all of the bad moves Fontenot made, we'd be here all night. And by handing the 25-year-old a pink slip, the Falcons are learning from their previous mistakes, especially since the receiver room has more impact players than it did a year ago--which is a credit to a new shot-caller.
Cunningham quickly realized that if Washington couldn't see the field in a 2025 receiver room that was desperate for depth WRs, the Dirty Birds had no use for him. This guy couldn't even see the field over David Sills V and Dylan Drummond, and if Terry was quick to admit fault on him, he should too.
Not even a strong two days of mandatory minicamp could save him from a grim fate. Not even a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp. This new regime has seen all they've needed to from him to the point that they released him in favor of a guy who just spent the season in the UFL.
The Illinois product joined Cousins, Orhorhoro, and Darnell Mooney in players Fontenot brought in whom Atlanta moved on from this offseason. The 40-year-old wants to run things his own way, and that means bringing in his own guys rather than recycling bottom-of-the-roster players from 2025.
Releasing Casey Washington is a minor move on paper, but it resulted in Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan sending a pretty major message to Terry Fontenot. The Falcons are entering a new era, and there's a new sheriff (who learned under Howie Roseman for a half-decade) in town.
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