Atlanta Falcons DL Prime Cut Candidate According to The Athletic

One of the most necessary and yet heartbreaking parts of the NFL process is cutting a player. For the Atlanta Falcons, to gain better cap/roster flexibility, they need to start paring the roster. Now, that doesn't mean cutting talent, just to save money.

The ultimate goal of the team remains to field the most competitive team under financial restraints. They need to get value for their dollar. That’s a little harder for the Falcons with Kirk Cousins scheduled to take up as much as $40 million of salary cap space whether he’s with the team or not in 2025.

Most NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed, and being an older, high-priced veteran is a dangerous place to be.

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | iHeart

The Athletic named Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata as the most likely roster cut.

"Financially, it makes more sense to move on from fellow defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, but he seems untouchable in Atlanta even though he and Onyemata both will be 32 when the season begins,” wrote Josh Kendall on The Athletic.

“The Falcons would incur an $8.8 million dead-cap hit, but releasing Onyemata would save the same amount in total cap dollars and while his play has been solid in the two years (seven sacks, 14 TFLs) since signing as a free agent in 2023, it hasn’t been stellar, and the Falcons need to get younger up front (releasing Jarrett would save $16 million on the cap and result in just $4.1 million in dead-cap hit)."

The Falcons could, and likely will, spread the dead-cap hit across 2025 and 2026 with a post-June 1st designation for Onyemata. This would free up more room in 2025 while Cousins is taking up more room.

Atlanta began getting much younger at defensive tackle last season by drafting Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus, but the job isn’t finished. The position lends itself to fatigue and attrition. In all honesty, nothing Onyemata does looks wholly irreplaceable. In fact, a mid-round pick could produce the same with a fraction of the cap hit.

Better yet, Zach Harrison, after a standout 2023, sat quiet under the Jimmy Lake regime. Harrison saw his snap counts dip by a third. In 2024, Harrison played just 24 percent of the snaps. With Onyemata gone, that number should greatly increase.

The Falcons made a big deal about Harrison bulking up and playing a bigger role in the offseason, but like much of the Atlanta defense, those plans went awry.

The Elephant in the Room

Kendall rightfully points to Grady Jarrett. Now, without a doubt, Jarrett is Mr. Falcon since Matt Ryan left town. However the defense in order to progress, needs to get younger. Yet, Jarrett will probably stay an Atlanta Falcon for a couple of reasons.

First, he is the best defensive tackle the team has, by a wide margin. Next, he still could provide a couple more years of quality play. Lastly, the ability to mentor the younger linemen just fits in well. Basically, he's Falcons royalty, the son of Atlanta legend Jessie Tuggle.

With no guaranteed money left on Jarrett’s contract, there is $16 million of flexibility on his current deal. He’s no longer a $20-million per season defender, but the Falcons and Jarrett could get creative this offseason and create cap space without incurring a large dead-cap hit in the future.

Overview

The Atlanta Falcons need to free up space. Onyemata played well his first season in Atlanta, but like most of the Falcons defense, regressed in year two under Lake. Just playing well enough isn't a criteria on how to make winning defenses.

This team is close to winning a division, and getting better value on the defensive line is another step in the right direction.