NFL Network Makes Prediction on Atlanta Falcons Free Agent Drew Dalman

The Atlanta Falcons have invested heavily in their offensive line with three first-round draft picks and a second. Drew Dalman is the man in the middle of the offensive line, and he’s been a relative bargain as the unit’s lone Day 3 pick.

Dalman was acquired as part of general manager Terry Fontenot’s first draft and one of the few times he executed a trade back. The Falcons sent No. 35 to the Denver Broncos and got back No. 40 and a fourth-round pick. The Broncos selected running back Javonte Williams, and the Falcons took safety Richie Grant and Dalman.

If the Falcons are going to keep their offensive line together in 2025, they’re going to have to dig deep and invest even more according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero named Dalman among five-lesser known players who could get considerably more money in free agency than expected. Falcons fans have been following Dalman closely the last several weeks, but he’s not a household name around the NFL.

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“High-end centers usually don't hit free agency, and Dalman should benefit,” wrote Pelissero on NFL.com. “He missed time last season with an ankle injury but excelled when he played, allowing two sacks on 295 pass-blocking snaps and finishing with PFF's fifth-best grade among centers.

“A fourth-round pick (No. 114 overall) out of Stanford in 2021, Dalman has 40 career starts and might still have his best football ahead of him at age 26. A contract with an annual salary in the $13 million-to-$14 million range would make sense.”

The contact period for free agency opens Monday at Noon. Dalman has earned the right to test the market, but is a four-year, $56-million contract with $30-million guaranteed to rich for the Falcons?

$14-million per season would make him the NFL's second-highest paid center.

Bidding bon voyage to Dalman has a degree of comfort to it, largely because his backup Ryan Neuzil started eight-games in relief last year. Neuzil is a restricted free agent, giving the Falcons the right to match any offer Neuzil receives.

However, while Dalman was the fifth-rated center by PFF, Neuzil was 31st in his eight-plus games of action.

When it comes to available salary cap space, the Falcons currently rank 30th. While many will point fingers are Kirk Cousins’s ill-fated signing, his cap number is only the 10th-highest among quarterbacks at $40 million in 2025. Despite ranking 30th in available-cap space, the Falcons don't have a center under contract.

Of course, we can split hairs over whether or not Dalman is actually worth the $14-million per year Pelissero feels he might get in free agency, but the Falcons hands are clearly tied regardless.

Having found a dynamic pivot for relatively low value in the fourth round of the 2021 draft from Stanford, the organization will be loath to let the 26-year-old maximize his playing potential elsewhere.

The finer details of playing offensive line are quite frequently lost on the vast majority of football fans, but pairing a veteran center with a young quarterback makes a lot of sense in anyone's language.

It’s a dangerous gamble by the Falcons if they’re to let him walk and downgrade at center as Michael Penix Jr. begins his first-full season as starter.