Are Atlanta Falcons, Dan Quinn Set For Make Or Break Season In 2020?

Superstar talent -- and investment -- on both sides of the ball leave the Atlanta Falcons hungry for a big season.

Author:
Zach Hood
Publish date:
Sep 3, 2020 12:24 PM EDT

The Atlanta Falcons have missed back-to-back postseasons with a losing record. Four years removed from their 2016 Super Bowl run, Dan Quinn and Co. are on the clock.

After a 1-7 start to last season, it seemed inevitable Quinn would be replaced as head coach, it was only a matter of with who and when. The Falcons however rallied after some coaching changes on the defense, and had a 6-2 record in their final eight games of the 2019 season.

A pair of road wins, one in San Francisco and one in New Orleans, inspired optimism that the club had turned it around, and perhaps found their rhythm. Quinn's job was lobbied for and saved by veterans on the team.

While the 6-2 finish was encouraging, General Manager Thomas Dimitroff was not satisfied going into the 2020 offseason, as his job was also seemingly on the line after missing the postseason in consecutive seasons with a franchise quarterback and all-time great wide receiver to go with him.

Dimitroff signed free agent rusher Dante Fowler Jr. to a three-year, $48 million contract to help shore up the Falcons' pass rush woes. He signed another former Los Angeles Ram, Todd Gurley II to replace Devonta Freeman as starting running back.

He then drafted cornerback A.J. Terrell and defensive lineman Marlon Davidson in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft to add depth to other areas of the defense. In the third round, it appears he may have found his starting left guard in former Temple center Matt Hennessy. The linebacker group was addressed in the fourth-round with the selection of Mykal Walker, who has impressed in camp much like Hennessy, Davidson and Terrell.

While the oddsmakers in Las Vegas still view the Falcons a long-shot to win the NFC South, much less the Super Bowl, the Falcons most certainly have a bigger agenda. If the Falcons fail to at least make a good run at the playoffs this season, it could be doom for the front office as well as the coaching staff.