The Atlanta Falcons finished their first mandatory minicamp on June 12th. After finishing second in the NFC South last season, Atlanta looks to make improvements to secure a playoff berth this year. The Falcons already made big moves at the NFL Draft, and have brought back many of the core players who brought them to eight wins last season. Still, the business of the NFL means that as some players improve and grow, others have to be cut to make room for them. We look at the three players in danger of being cut from the Falcons now that mini-camp is over.
The first major piece of news out of Falcons minicamp was the arrival of Kirk Cousins. After skipping voluntary OTAs this offseason, Cousins arrived at minicamp as expected. Now the Falcons will not practice as a team again until training camp opens in July. Between now and then, the front office and coaches will evaluate each position, looking to bring in the best 90 players for their roster as they prepare for the 2025 season.
The Falcons have already made moves this offseason. They released Grady Jarrett while also seeing Richie Grant leave. The Falcons also brought in two first-round draft picks and signed players Leonard Floyd and Easton Stick. With new faces on the roster this year, there will be players who will be cut before the start of training camp.
The Falcons cut a veteran in favor of new faces
This past offseason, the Falcons signed Leonard Floyd to a one-year contract worth $10 million. He was a first-round pick in 2016 by the Chicago Bears, playing his first five seasons with the team. He would then spend two years with the Los Angeles Rams, before a year in Buffalo, and last season with the San Francisco 49ers. Floyd has been productive in recent years. In each of the last five seasons, he had had 8.5 or more sacks, while forcing a fumble in four of the last five. He has seen his tackle numbers diminish in recent years, and played just ten games last season, but still had 8.5 sacks.
Still, it is not just the signing of Floyd that could lead to a player being cut. James Pearce Jr. was also drafted in the first round. Head coach Raheem Morris has had high praise for Pearce already. He was drafted with the 26th pick in this past NFL draft out of Tennessee. He had a solid college career, including being third in the SEC in sacks in the 2023 season.
With Pearce already looking good and the new addition of Floyd, DeAngelo Malone could be the odd man out. Malone is a former third-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft. The former All-Conference-USA player out of Western Kentucky has yet to make a name for himself at the NFL level. His season high in tackles came in his rookie year of 2022. That year, he had 18 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles. He also had just one sack and four tackles for a loss. In 2023, his playing time decreased, and he registered just six combined tackles. Last season, he had just 16 combined tackles with two sacks and three TFLs. Malone is not living up to expectations and could be on his way out of Atlanta.
Atlanta decides on Kirk Cousins' future
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Kirk Cousins is currently under contract with the Atlanta Falcons through the 2027 season. The veteran quarterback is coming off his first season in Atlanta. Cousins rose to prominence in his time in Washington and then would spend six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. In his final season in Minnesota, Cousins suffered a torn Achilles and would miss the end of the season. Cousins then joined the Falcons as a free agent.
His time as a starter did not last very long. To begin with, the Falcons shocked many people by drafting Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Cousins would go on to be the starting quarterback for the Falcons. After 14 games, Cousins would find the bench in favor of Penix. There has been speculation that Cousins would be traded, but he has not found his way out of Atlanta yet.
Cousins expects to be the backup to Penix this year, but he has a very high cost attached to his contract. The Falcons could release the veteran quarterback, and while they would have $40 million in dead cap space this year, they would save money in the long term. Atlanta brought in Easton Stick. He has started four games in his six-year career as a backup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Emory Jones is also on the roster. He signed a reserve/future contract this offseason. With three other quarterbacks and the potential desire not to have this situation linger, the Falcons might cut ties with Cousins.
The Falcons have a new kicker
Younghoe Koo joined the Falcons in the 2019 season. After going undrafted out of Georgia Southern, he joined the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017, winning the job over Josh Lambo at the end of the preseason. Still, Koo had struggles, going just three for six kicking, leading to his release from the Chargers. Koo would then spend time in the AAF before time on the New England Patriots practice squad. Then, in 2019, Koo joined the Falcons.
Since then, he has been solid, but last year, he saw a decline in production. Last season, Koo went just 25-34 kicking, his worst percentage since his time with the Chargers. He was also injured at the end of the season, and his 101 total points were the lowest he had since the 2019 season. The Falcons have just signed Lenny Krieg to a three-year contract.
The kicker from Germany has spent time in the German Football League and the European League of Football. This offseason, he was part of the International Player Pathway program and was impressive, earning himself a contract from the Falcons. With Koo having a bad year, plus having a sizeable contract for a kicker, he could be released in favor of the international prospect this offseason.