New-look Falcons front office earns mediocre grade for first offseason

The biggest moves that the Atlanta Falcons made this offseason entailed turning over the top positions off the field. They have a new general manager in Ian Cunningham, a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski and Matt Ryan in a new position somewhere between GM and team owner Arthur Blank.

While we don't know what to make of Ryan and his new position, both Cunningham and Stefanski come to Flowery Branch with good reputations in their respective roles. In theory this should help get the Falcons out of their nine-year playoff absence and back into relevance.

That's all yet to be determined, though - and the early returns have left most observers underwhelmed. The Falcons have not earned great reviews for their free agent signings nor their picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The latest criticism comes from Bleacher Report, where Atlanta has only earned a C+ offseason grade.

"The Atlanta Falcons already fielded a dynamic offense with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Yet the unit finished 14th in total offense last season. The hire a two-time NFL head coach of the Year in Kevin Stefanski, who serves as his own offensive play-caller, and offensive line coach Bill Callahan should help maximize this group."

It's fair to critique what the Falcons have done so far. In free agency their best move was signing Tua Tagovailoa, who added badly-needed depth at quarterback for peanuts. They also landed a strong replacement for Kaleb McGary with Jawaan Taylor, but every other new addition in free agency does not inspire any real excitement.

In the draft it's worth pointing out that Cunnigham and company were left with bare cupboards by the previous administration. They did address their biggest need on offense by taking a wide receiver in Round 3, but their second-round pick looks a like a waste when they had such a large hole in the middle of their defensive line. Avieon Terrell may turn out to be a great pro corner despite his size, but their secondary was already strong and he's not going to move the needle against the run, where the Falcons have seemingly not improved at all since last season.