Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said on Apr. 6 that the team focused on strengthening its roster during the first wave of free agency by signing 17 new players in two weeks. Cunningham explained that the main goal was to “elevate the floor” across multiple positions while managing limited salary cap space.
This approach is important for the Falcons as they work to address several roster needs and maintain competitiveness in the National Football League’s NFC South division, according to the official website. Cunningham said, “There was a certain band of players that we were attacking because we knew we had to try to elevate the floor at a lot of different positions, but also (do so) with limited cap space as well.” He added, “We wanted to make sure that we were being thoughtful not just at one position or just spending big at one position, we had to fill a lot of voids at a lot of different positions.”
Cunningham noted this heavy reliance on free agency is not his preferred method for building a team. He emphasized his belief in accumulating draft picks and building through the draft process, saying he would rather have more opportunities—or “swings at the plate”—in upcoming drafts. Currently, Atlanta holds five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Cunningham said increasing this number depends on potential trades with other teams: “For us, it’s one of those things where we have to go into this thinking we only have five picks. That’s worst case… We are already looking at different ways to potentially manufacture some more. But if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”
Looking ahead, Cunningham told scouts he expects this will be the last year Atlanta enters a draft with only five selections: “That’s the hand that we were dealt,” he said about this offseason’s circumstances, but added that efforts are underway for future improvement.
The Atlanta Falcons began as an expansion team in 1965 and are based in Atlanta, Georgia according to their official website. The franchise has reached two Super Bowls—in 1998 and again in 2016—and features Freddie the Falcon as its mascot according to their official website.
Cunningham concluded by emphasizing long-term planning: “Moving forward, you don’t want to live in that space… You would like for your draft picks to eventually take the place of those things, but this was a year where we had to attack it this way.”