4 Problems the Falcons created by drafting Michael Penix Jr. 8th overall

3. Taylor Heinicke was kept the roster for what reason?

Let's be clear this is a much smaller issue than the first two. Taylor Heinicke is a bench player and cutting him would have saved the team $7-million. That is the complete issue here, why is Heinicke still on this roster? The obvious explanation is that the Falcons didn't know what they were going to do when they reworked Taylor's deal to keep the veteran quarterback on the roster.

You have made his presence pointless by drafting Penix Jr. and could have used his cap space to add a pass rusher that wasn't taken inside the top-ten as expected. The Falcons have gone from one extreme to the other in managing their quarterbacks.

The team went from failing to having one capable quarterback on the roster to adding two potential starters and a capable backup in Heinicke. Atlanta's plan at the position is clear but that doesn't make it any more sensical if the Falcons are truly expecting to win with Kirk Cousins.

If that is the expectation go out and give Cousins a first-round player that has a chance to help the team win right now. Atlanta added a player that shouldn't factor into the team's plans for two years.