Free agency is always an exciting time once the regular season ends. The Falcons have made massive moves during the last two offseasons, for better and for worse, with the signings of Jessie Bates and Kirk Cousins.
Bates was a home-run signing while Cousins was a high-priced mistake. However, don’t expect the team to spend money like that in 2025. Atlanta has 30 players set to enter free agency, including several key members of the defense.
Pro Football Focus released its annual list of the top 100 free agents and three Falcons players made the cut. Two of the three players were added to the team before the season began as last-minute attempts to address glaring needs at linebacker and safety.
| Rank | Name | Position | Position Rank |
| 21 | Drew Dalman | Center | 1st |
| 69 | Justin Simmons | Safety | 7th |
| 71 | Matthew Judon | Edge Rusher | 12th |
Dalman was a player taken in the fourth round by Atlanta in 2021. Initially coming in as a guard, he quickly made the move to center due to injuries and poor play. Pass blocking has never been Dalman’s strong suit, but it’s hard to shun the center when it comes to run blocking.
With a running back like Bijan Robinson, it would make sense for the team to bring back Dalman for his run-blocking game alone. However, if the Falcons want to be more dynamic on offense, he has to improve his pass protection.
Dalman has room to grow as a pass protector but is one of the best run-blocking centers in the NFL and will advance the continued growth of the interior offensive line market after Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey finally reset the center market. — Pro Football Focus
Simmons was a player the front office signed deep into the preseason. The acquisition itself was praised, but the results on the field left a lot to be desired. The Falcons likely thought they would get more than they did when they brought in Simmons late in August.
Simmons did have his moments, including intercepting Patrick Mahomes for an NFL-record sixth time.
One of the top ball-hawks of the past decade, Simmons continued his streak of multiple interceptions in every season of his nine-year NFL career after signing with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason. — Pro Football Focus
Alongside Simmons, the trade for Matthew Judon brought a massive spotlight to the Falcons defense. Simply put, this unit underachieved and it’s unlikely that Judon played his way into a contract extension in Atlanta.
Judon arguably had the worst season of his career, managing six sacks in 17 games. Two of those sacks came in the first 10 weeks. In every single graded category, Judon recorded a career low.
Outside of his injury-shortened 2023 season that played a role in the trade, Judon set career lows almost across the board in 2024 compared to all prior healthy seasons besides his rookie campaign in 2016. — Pro Football Focus
The Falcons have some tough decisions to make and not a lot of money for free agency. Bringing back Dalman and Judon might not be realistic. Simmons has at least expressed interest in returning to Atlanta.
“Man, I love it in Atlanta. I think things are trending in the right direction. There’s a lot of firsts here, but I’ve been a part of a lot of firsts in Denver, and I just feel like things are trending in the right directions,” said Simmons after the game against the Panthers.
