#4 Taylor Heinicke - QB
- Final Year of Contract
- Cut Would Save $1.21M in cap space for 2024
- Age: 31
- Heinicke has already taken a major pay cut ($4.47M) to stay on the team.
“Yeah, I kind of see the writing on the wall,” Heinicke said when asked about his role on the team last week, adding “It’s nothing that I haven’t been through before. So, I accept my role in any case.”
Cold Hard Facts:
- Signed a 2-year, $20 Million deal to come back up Desmond Ridder.
- Heinicke is the remainder of a QB room featuring Ridder that Owner Arthur Blank described last year as “clearly deficient.”
- 74-136 (54.4%), 890 passing yards, 5 TDs, 4 INTs in 5 Games Played.
- QB Kirk Cousins has a 4-year, $180M deal with $100M guaranteed.
- QB Michael Penix Jr. (8th pick) has a 4-year, $22.8M deal.
The team’s release of rookie QB John Paddock and subsequent signing of 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian QB Nathan Rourke has Terry Fontenot catching a flight on Air Canada for a potential QB3.
#35 Avery Williams - PR/KR/RB
- Final Year of Rookie Contract
- Cut Would Save $1.055M in cap space for 2024
- Age: 26
Red Hot Numbers:
- 5.0 rushing yards per carry as RB3 in 2022.
- NFL Leading 16.2 yards per punt return in 2022. 2nd place was 13.2 yards.
- The Atlanta Falcons averaged 7.2 yards per punt return last season, the third worst in the NFL.
Cold Hard Facts:
- Williams tore his ACL in June 2023 and missed all season.
- Atlanta has since signed Ray-Ray McCloud (WR4/PR), Rondale Moore (WR3/KR), & Jase McClellan (RB3).
No one in Falcons media has spoken higher of Williams in his time here as a 5th round hit (Just the one year of NFL-leading punt returning alone was a hit on Day 3), but this could fearfully be a case of Not For Long in Atlanta.
#87 John Fitzpatrick - TE
- Year 3 of Rookie Contract
- Cut Would Save $985,000 in cap space for 2024, $1.1M for 2025
- Age: 24
Two-Year Stat Line:
- 1 catch, 12 yards
- 4 tackles
Meet Ross Dwelley, the Falcons' offseason acquisition from the San Francisco 49ers.
Cold Hard Facts:
- 6 seasons, 84 games, & 17 starts for the 49ers.
- 44 catches, 518 yards, & 5 TDs of production
- Carries a $1.13M cap hit for 2024 on a 1-year deal.
“He’s a good blocker” won’t be enough for Fitz with the additions of Charlie Woerner and Dwelley from the West Coast. Reports of blacksmith-handed drops at Training Camp extinguishes Fitz’s Magic.
#95 Ta’Quon Graham - 3T
- Final Year of Rookie Contract
- Cut Would Save $1.055M in cap space for 2024
- Age: 25 (26 by season's end)
Cold Hard Facts:
- 15 GPs, 23 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF in 2023
- MCL tear in Week 11 of 2022.
With invigorated youth like Ruke Orhorhoro (22), Zach Harrison (22), and Brandon Dorlus (23) beefing up this 3-4 defensive end rotation, Graham has to be better than his serviceable body to make this team.
