Ian Cunningham's Free Agency Strategy Opens Door For Falcons Draft Future

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have not been particularly active in free agency after making a flurry of depth moves on Monday. They have added a handful of players, but have lost several more to the market, including Tyler Allegeir, David Onyemata, Kaden Elliss, and Dee Alford.

The losses sting, but there is a good reason the Falcons were comfortable letting these players walk in free agency. One aspect of Ian Cunningham’s team-building strategy is becoming clear after the early weeks of his tenure in Atlanta. The Falcons’ general manager has been on the record about his affinity for draft picks, assuring fans that this will be the last time his team will be this hamstrung in terms of total selections.

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | WATCH

“I love picks, man, so you use those as currency. Either you can use it as trading up, you can trade for players, proven players. It allows you more swings at the plate,” he said during his introductory press conference. “That's why we will value them. We only have five right now, but we only had five in Chicago my first year there, too [and] I think we ended up with 10. We love those picks, and we're going to definitely build through the draft that way.”

After the dry 2026, the Falcons’ 2027 is going the opposite way. They will not have a seventh-round pick after Terry Fontenot sent that to Seattle for offensive tackle Michael Jerrell, but they will be in line to add several compensatory picks.

With the departures of those key players, the Falcons now have three additional picks in next year’s draft – one fifth-round pick for Elliss and two sixth-round picks for Alford and Allgeier. The addition of wide receiver Jahan Dotson canceled out Onyemata’s departure.

Compensatory picks are determined by factors that include the player’s salary on the new team, snaps played, and accolades (e.g., All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections). Teams can qualify for these only if they lose players through free agency on expiring contracts, not by cutting players. However, these picks can be canceled if a team loses a player in free agency and replaces him with a player of similar level within the same year.

The last time the Falcons were awarded a compensatory pick was after the departure of center Alex Mack (sixth-round pick).

Sign up for our free Atlanta Falcons newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest news!