Falcons’ Trade for Sydney Brown Could Impact Jessie Bates’ Future

The Atlanta Falcons have not made many splashes this offseason, but they did quietly address a significant area of need.

Ian Cunningham made a trade on Friday night, his first as general manager. He swapped some draft picks with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire safety Sydney Brown. After the trade, the Falcons will move from pick No. 114 to 122 in the fourth round, and from No. 197 to 215 in the seventh round, but they have added a new wrinkle to their secondary for this season.

The former third-round pick comes to Atlanta after showing some flashes in Philadelphia, but a torn ACL in 2023 as a rookie hampered some of his early development. He returned to game action by Week 7 of 2024, and appeared in 11 regular-season games and throughout the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. By then, Brown had largely been relegated to special teams.

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Cunningham, who previously worked under Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, has said that the stated goal for the Falcons this offseason is to elevate the team’s floor. This addition is doing just that.

After losing Dee Alford to the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason, Brown is the second addition the front office has made to the roster – the Falcons signed former Raiders defensive back Darnay Holmes earlier this week. This duo will help fill the void left by Alford and the eventual return of Billy Bowman Jr, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon after breaking out as a rookie last season.

Bowman will be back at some point this summer, but the combination of Brown and Holmes could both fill that role in the interim.

Brown will be an upgrade on special teams, at the very least, but he will also provide some valuable reps on defense. He was used all over the Eagles' defense last season, with snaps inside the box as an edge and linebacker (35) or outside the box in the slot and corner (six), but the vast majority were used as free safety (194). Paired with his physicality, the former top-75 draft pick factors in as a Swiss army knife for the Jeff Ulbrich defense.

Holmes’ snaps last season almost exclusively came in the slot (86%), but he lacks the physical edge that Brown brings on tape. He is better suited to set an edge or attack a gap than Holmes, who is more of a coverage-oriented player.

In this era, where offenses are going heavier and deploying dual-tight end sets, having an effective box player is paramount. Adding Brown gives Ulbrich a potential counter without sacrificing too much in coverage.

Even after Bowman returns, Brown is a player who can slot in all over the defense, operating as a third safety behind Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts. He only has one year remaining on his deal, but he could also give the Falcons a scouting report on his ability to be a potential Bates replacement for 2027 – or sooner.

Bates is entering the final year of his contract and carries a $24.8 million cap hit for this season. He was a second-team All-Pro for the Falcons last season, and would fetch a decent return, should they opt to move on from him this offseason. A pre-June 1 trade carries a dead cap hit of $19.3 million and $5.52 million in savings, but it would land them some potentially valuable draft capital.

This move quietly gives Atlanta flexibility with Bates’ future.

However, Bates is still 29, and the team captain still has plenty left in the tank. The Falcons would be downgrading at free safety, so the recoup would need to be worth the move. An extension would still be well worth considering this offseason.

Brown gives the Falcons an affordable contributor, but possibly more if Cunningham has identified untapped upside in the 25-year-old safety. He will get a look at something more this offseason, but the Falcons have achieved their goal of a raised floor with this move.

For now, the move fits squarely within the vision Cunningham has outlined since taking over in Atlanta. They have not chased the splash move, but created some depth, versatility, and competition across the roster.

Brown’s positional flexibility raises the floor, but with the potential to grow into a bigger role. For the cost of a few draft slots, the Falcons bought valuable flexibility.

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