NFL Network Provides Grim Outlook For Atlanta Falcons' Offseason

The Atlanta Falcons will have an important offseason in 2026, as they look to reshape their outlook after eight consecutive seasons of coming up short. They will enter a new era with Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach, but his outlook will be dramatically impacted by the decisions made by new general manager Ian Cunningham over the next several months.

How much flexibility Cunningham will ultimately have to work the roster into the one he imagines is a different question entirely. In terms of draft capital and cap space, NFL analyst Zak Koeppel painted a worrisome picture for the Falcons, with Atlanta finishing tied for 25th in the NFL.

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Koeppel highlighted each team’s ability to improve via veteran and rookie acquisitions this offseason, ranking them by their various net scores. In terms of their cap rank, the Falcons sit at No. 15 in the NFL, while they are dead last in draft rank.

Their draft ranking is unsurprising, given how they will hold just five draft selections in this spring’s NFL Draft, including zero picks in the first or fifth rounds. Both of those selections were used to trade up in the 2025 Draft to acquire James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts. The Falcons’ first selection will not come until No. 48 overall, and they will have just two picks in the first 100.

However bleak the situation may seem at this point, Cunningham made it clear that he understands the value of holding more draft picks.

“I love picks, man, so you use those as currency,” Cunningham said during his introductory press conference. “Either you can use it as trading up, or you can trade for players, proven players. It allows you more swings at the plate. So, there's different ways you can use them. But that's why we value them. 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.”

Cunningham learned from his years in Baltimore and Philadelphia that teams must develop their own players rather than rely on free agency. With just five picks, it would not be unsurprising to see the Falcons trade back to acquire more draft capital this spring.

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In terms of veteran acquisitions, the Falcons should have much more flexibility once they start trimming their roster. They will have the chance to clear a lot of money off their books, with the contracts of Darnell Mooney and Kirk Cousins immediately coming to mind.

The options will not be plentiful for the Falcons, but they will have more than enough to build out a competitive roster in 2026.

Elsewhere in the NFC South, Koeppel ranked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tied for No. 16, the New Orleans Saints at No. 19, and the Carolina Panthers at No. 22