The Atlanta Falcons had the talent to win the NFC South last year, but injuries and poor coaching prevented them from making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. I’m here to fix that. Using StickToTheModel’s Be the GM tool, I’ve set out to build every team’s perfect offseason.

Falcons fans have a lot to look forward to this offseason. They brought in Kevin Stefanski to be their new head coach, they’ve got a lot of playmakers already on the roster and they can create a good amount of cap space to spend in free agency. If I were the GM of the Falcons, here’s what my plan would be to get them back to the postseason.

Roster Management

The Falcons will enter the new league year with about $26 million in cap space, but I had to clear some to make all the moves I wanted to this offseason.

Starting off with the cuts, the first player I ditched was TE Charlie Woerner, which freed up $4.5 million in cap space.

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After that, I made two more cuts: WR KhaDarel Hodge and CB Clark Phillips III, freeing up another $6.3 million.

But that’s not all I did to free up some space. I also restructured OT Jake Matthews and CB A.J. Terrell, giving Atlanta another $20.3 million to work with.

The Falcons have a lot of players eligible for an extension this offseason. First order of business was obviously extending Bijan Robinson, who I signed for $20.8 million per year, resetting the running back market.

It’s a hefty price to pay, but Robinson is a special player. Of course, I also had to shell out a ton of cash for Drake London, whom I landed for $34.2 million per year, making him the third-highest-paid receiver in the league.

It’s a steep price tag right now, but in two years, it’ll look like a bargain.

I’m not sure how Falcons fans will feel about this one, but I extended TE Kyle Pitts and gave him $14.9 million per year, making him the fifth-highest-paid TE in the league.

I think Kevin Stafanski will be able to get the most out of his skill set, especially because he’s coming off the best year of his career.

I finished the roster management phase off by extending LB Kaden Elliss and S Jesse Bates for $14.2 million and $22.2 million per year respectively.

Free Agency

Heading into free agency, I had about $60 million to work with.

I started by re-signing DT David Onyemata and DEs Kentavius Street and Leonard Floyd to provide some depth on the offensive line. I also brought back LT Ryan Hayes for some depth, and K Zane Gonzalez and P Bradley Pinion. In total, they cost $26.5 million.

With a little over $25 million left in the piggy bank, I decided to spend big on defense, bringing in CB Ja’Quan McMillan and DT Jonathan Franklin-Meyers from Denver.

Pairing McMillan with Terrell would give the Falcons one hell of a cornerback duo, and Franklin-Meyers gives the Falcons the star defensive tackle they’ve been missing for a few years. Combined, the two cost exactly $25 million.

It wasn’t the biggest offseason volume-wise, but I brought back some key depth pieces while adding two defensive stars that Atlanta really needed.

NFL Draft

With no first-round pick, the Falcons didn’t get to make their first selection until pick 48, where I selected CB Chris Johnson out of San Diego State. I know I invested some money into the CB position this offseason, but the Falcons really needed to get better at that position, and he was by far the best player on the board, in my opinion.

In round three, I finally added some much-needed help at receiver in Malachi Fields. The Notre Dame standout has been flying up draft boards, but this is a super deep receiver class, so there’s a good chance he slips to the third round. In the fourth, I stuck on offense and picked C Logan Jones from Iowa.

With my final two picks, I selected DE Trey Moore from Texas to get some more depth and upside on the defensive line before rounding it out with QB Taylen Green, who is a freak athlete that can play quarterback (especially if Michael Penix isn’t ready to go and/or they get rid of Kirk Cousins) or potentially move into a different role.

Starting Lineup

Here’s what Atlanta’s starting lineup is looking like for Kevin Stefanski’s first season.

Offense

QB: Michael Penix

RB: Bijan Robinson

WR: Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields

TE: Kyle Pitts

OL: Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil/Logan Jones, Chris Lindstrom, Jack Nelson

Quarterback is still a big question mark, but I think you have to give Michael Penix another season. He was your first-round pick two years ago, and he didn’t play badly enough to give up on him yet.

There will be no excuses, though. They have a solid offensive line, a star running back and receiver, and a tight end with a ton of upside.

There weren’t a lot of changes to this offense, but the addition of Malachi Fields should improve their pass game, which is the area that struggled the most last season. And if London can stay healthy next to him, this offense could be dangerous with Stefanski calling plays.

Defense

DL: Jalon Walker, Zach Harrison/James Pearce, Jonathan Franklin-Meyers, David Onyemata

LB: Kaden Elliss, Divine Deablo

CB: Ja’Quan McMillan, A.J. Terrell, Dee Alford

S: Jessie Bates, Xavier Watts

I thought Atlanta’s was much better than the stats said. They gave up 23.6 PPG, but they have some really good pieces in place, and complementing them with guys like Jonathan Franklin-Meyers and Ja’Quan McMillan could make a huge difference.

And if they do get James Pearce back, legal situation depending, this defensive roster is terrifying.

The NFC South is there for the taking. They finished last year on a high note, and now they have one of the best coaches in the league. You can’t fix it all in one offseason, but this roster could certainly challenge for the NFC South and possibly a playoff win.