Terry Fontenot has been a great addition to the Atlanta Falcons building a contending roster without a quarterback or capable head coach. The GM has shown an elite ability to find value late in the draft or in bargain-free agency deals.
Atlanta fans should have full trust in Fontenot going forward that the GM will give the team their best chance. Even his big swings (Jessie Bates) have worked out better than expected. This is all to qualify when we look at the moves that haven't worked it is in no way an indictment on the Falcons GM.
Terry Fontenot just like every GM in this league is going to have his fair share of misses and many of them in this case should be pointed towards Arthur Smith. While the power dynamic in Atlanta was unclear it seems at the very least Arthur Smith had a strong voice in the quarterback and skill player decisions.
Now with Raheem Morris, Arthur Blank has made it clear this is a partnership. One that is going to work well for Atlanta. For now, however, let's look at the rare misses for the Atlanta Falcons GM and how they played out in their next stop.
1. Mike Davis
Mike Davis was supposed to be the answer to the Atlanta Falcons' lack of a running game. Before the emergence of Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier, Mike Davis was the featured back for the Falcons.
Davis was a complete mess as Atlanta's starting running back taking none of the pressure off of Matt Ryan. It didn't take long for the Falcons to realize that Patterson was the best back on the roster and Davis struggled to the finish line.
He landed the next season with the Ravens and didn't crack the rotation falling out of the league after the 2022 season.
2. Taylor Heinicke
It is hard to fault Terry Fontenot when it comes to the moves at quarterback over the past few seasons. Despite the GM playing a huge role in deals it seems from the outside that Arthur Smith had more control over the position. It shows in how Matt Ryan was pushed out and that the answer was Smith's former quarterback with the Titans in Marcus Mariota.
Still, this move was a complete miss and the Falcons needed help at the position in the worst way. If the version of Taylor that showed up in Washington was in Atlanta last season history would be re-written.
3. Josh Rosen and A.J. McCarron
These moves have the benefit of being judged with the knowledge that it was Matt Ryan's final year in Atlanta. In reality, it is hard to fault Fontenot or Smith for giving little care about a position that was never going to see the field. Matt Ryan was an iron man rarely missing a game and willingly taking years of poor offensive lines and little running game.
However, now knowing this was Ryan's final season what a waste these moves were. Atlanta could have drafted a rookie quarterback and have him sitting behind Ryan for a full season. Failing to prepare for life after Matt Ryan cost both Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith.
Rosen was a desperation move after A.J. was injured and the team knew they were in trouble if Ryan went down with injury. This was a lost season when the Falcons could have either moved off Ryan a year sooner and been in a position to draft a quarterback or more realistically put a rookie behind Atlanta's franchise quarterback to learn. It was two wasteful moves when the Falcons could have drafted or acquired a young quarterback.
4. Marcus Mariota
This leads us into the next move that deserves a lot of criticism though not entirely in the direction of Terry Fontenot. From the outside looking in it appears that Arthur Smith never put his arms around Matt Ryan and owner Arthur Blank responded by an ill-advised attempt to land Deshaun Watson.
This decision seems almost entirely on the owner with Blank chasing someone he had a personal relationship with and had ties to the Falcons. Thankfully for Atlanta, this fizzled out and the team was left paying the price of a season of Marcus Mariota.
In retrospect, there were so many better options in the draft, free agency, and the trade market. Atlanta wouldn't have had to do much to improve the position. Marcus Mariota was a huge mistake and one that arguably is no fault of Fontenot. Mariota's lone season with the Falcons ended with the veteran getting benched and leaving the team when that happened. This didn't sit well with many Atlanta Falcons fans after the team had kept Mariota in the starting lineup as long as they did. Regardless of who was at fault, this was without question a bad decision.
5. Casey Hayward
Even the misses for Terry Fontenot are easy to see the reasoning behind as was the case here for Casey Hayward. Atlanta needed a veteran to put opposite A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward was within Atlanta's price range with an impressive resume.
Casey Hayward couldn't stay healthy and it was clear that age had caught up with the veteran. Still, there were solid moments during his lone season with the Falcons but it was still clear that this was a free-agency miss and the Falcons still needed to find another answer to pair with A.J. Terrell.
6. Mike Hughes
A year later and Terry Fontenot missed at the same position with a player with a less impressive history. What was Hughes doing on the field for the Falcons so often in the 2023 season? He was a mess as a punt returner and often looked lost in coverage.
It would be surprising to see Hughes return again for the Falcons considering how the 2023 played out. Hughes was outplayed by rookie Clark Phillips and young corner Dee Alford. Atlanta would be far better off playing either player in 2024 and moving on from the veteran. It was one of the very rare clear misses for Fontenot.
7. Kaleb McGary
Terry Fontenot was backed into a corner on this move and there simply was no right answer for the GM. Kaleb McGary was a clear draft miss and not going to be in Atlanta's long-term plans before the 2022 season.
Kaleb was a different player often being a capable pass protector for Marcus Mariota and looking great in the rushing attack. McGary was paid based on a career year and that came back to haunt the Falcons in the 2023 season. Backup Storm Norton was arguably a far better pass protector and McGary regressed.
8. Mack Hollins
We will learn this offseason whether it was Arthur Smith or Terry Fontenot to blame for the continual lack of receiver depth. A year after Bryan Edwards was supposed to be the answer Mack Hollins was signed. Another former Raider who failed with Atlanta and clearly never found his role.
With Desmond Ridder as his quarterback, some of the fault is taken away, however, Hollins was still a clear bust. His best moments with the Falcons are yelling on the sideline or providing fans entertainment with his aversion to footwear and utensils. Let's hope Atlanta's approach at the position changes moving forward.