The 2025 season was a period of high turnover for Raheem Morris’ Atlanta Falcons. The team finished with an 8–9 record and missed the postseason for the eighth consecutive year. A mid-season injury frenzy on the offensive line and inconsistent quarterback play led to a disappointing 4–9 start.
Following the season finale, both Morris and GM Terry Fontenot were relieved of their duties, leading to the hire of Kevin Stefanski as head coach. The primary struggle for the Falcons in 2025 was offensive protection and third-down efficiency. Atlanta’s offensive line was plagued by injuries, contributing to a league-high pressure rate and a bottom-tier 33.6% third-down conversion rate.
While the pass rush set a franchise record with 57.0 sacks, the defense struggled with gap discipline in the run game, allowing 4.6 yards per carry. This defensive inconsistency often allowed opponents to carry on long drives that wore down the clock. Strengthening the trenches and securing a reliable bridge quarterback are the top priorities for the Falcons for the 2026 offseason.
Top 10 Free Agency Targets For Atlanta Falcons
1. Marcus Mariota (QB, Washington Commanders)
Mariota is the ideal bridge starter for Kevin Stefanski’s system while Michael Penix Jr. recovers. In 2025, he appeared in 11 games for Washington, completing 61.2% of his passes for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He added 297 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Mariots brings veteran stability and familiarity with the Falcons’ organization. His mobility would help lower the burden on an offensive line that is still rebuilding its depth. He offers a cost-effective solution that allows the team to focus its remaining cap on the defense.
2. Romeo Doubs (WR, Green Bay Packers)
Doubs is a reliable chain-mover who would immediately improve Atlanta’s league-worst third-down conversion rate. In 2025, he led the Packers with 55 receptions for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns. He excels at finding soft spots in zone coverage and has the size to win in the red zone.
Pairing him with Drake London gives the Falcons two consistent targets for the quarterback. Doubs provides the precise route-running that the Falcons lacked during their late-season offensive collapse.
3. David Onyemata (DT, Atlanta Falcons)
Re-signing Onyemata is the most critical internal move for the Falcons’ front seven. He played in 17 regular-season games in 2025 and finished with 62 total tackles, the highest mark of his career. While he recorded only 1.0 sack, his value remains in his ability to anchor the interior of a defensive line that set a franchise sack record.
Losing Onyemata would leave a massive void in the interior that a rookie likely couldn’t fill immediately. Keeping him ensures continuity for a unit that took major strides last season.
4. Isaiah Likely (TE, Baltimore Ravens)
Adding Likely would create a dynamic 12-personnel look alongside Kyle Pitts. In 2025, Likely appeared in 14 games, recording 27 receptions for 307 yards and 1 touchdown. While his volume was limited in Baltimore, he has proven to be an elite vertical threat and an improved blocker.
Kevin Stefanski’s offense heavily uses multiple tight end sets to create mismatches. Likely’s speed and playmaking ability would force defenses to stop focusing on Drake London and offer a secondary red-zone threat.
5. Chidobe Awuzie (CB, Baltimore Ravens)
Awuzie is a veteran corner who brings the shutdown mentality needed to complement A.J. Terrell Jr. In 2025, he registered 43 tackles and seven pass defenses across 14 games for the Ravens. He finished the season with a strong 74.7 PFF grade, ranking 13th among all qualifying cornerbacks.
Atlanta allowed over 200 passing yards per game last year and struggled when Terrell was avoided. Awuzie’s veteran experience and technical discipline would stabilize the perimeter for a rebuilding secondary.
6. Tyquan Thornton (WR, Kansas City Chiefs)
Thornton is a speed specialist who addresses the Falcons’ lack of explosive plays. In 2025, he recorded 19 receptions for 438 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging a staggering 23.1 yards per catch. He appeared in 14 games, primarily serving as a deep threat for Patrick Mahomes.
Adding Thornton would prevent defenses from crowding the box to stop Bijan Robinson. His elite speed is the missing piece for an offense that grew far too predictable in the final month of the 2025 season.
7. Kaden Elliss (LB, Atlanta Falcons)
Elliss is an internal free agent who remained one of the Falcons’ top defensive playmakers in 2025. He recorded 107 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one interception over 17 regular-season games. He also set a career high with six passes defensed.
Re-signing him is important for defensive strength and leadership. Elliss understands the environment in Atlanta. His ability to both stuff the run and blitz from the middle makes him a safer and more impactful investment than an outside free agent.
8. Jaylinn Hawkins (S, New England Patriots)
A reunion with Hawkins would shore up a safety group that was inconsistent behind Jessie Bates III. Hawkins had a great 2025 in New England, charting 71 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a team-leading 4 interceptions across 15 games.
He proved to be an integral part of a top-tier secondary, showing improved range and ball skills. The Falcons‘ run defense was a major liability last year, and Hawkins’ familiarity with the division and improved physicality would help close those lanes.
9. James Daniels (OG, Miami Dolphins)
Daniels is a durable interior lineman seeking a bounce-back after a pectoral injury limited him to one game in 2025. Prior to that, he was a consistent starter in Pittsburgh, playing 15 games in 2023 and 17 games in 2022.
Atlanta’s whirlwind of injuries on the line was the primary reason the offense failed to convert on third downs. Daniels brings a veteran presence to the locker room and can anchor against powerful nose tackles, preventing the A-gap pressure that frequently troubled Falcons quarterbacks last season.
10. Quinton Bell (EDGE, Miami Dolphins)
Bell is an ascending rotational pass rusher who appeared in 7 games for the Dolphins in 2025, recording 8 tackles and one fumble recovery. While his 2025 production was limited by snaps, he recorded 27 tackles and a sack in a full 17-game season in 2024.
Bell provides a pure speed-rush element from the outside that the team still lacks. He is a low-risk, high-reward target who fits Kevin Stefanski’s preference for a deep defensive line rotation. The Edge can ensure the pass-rush remains productive throughout the year.
Also Read: 10 Free Agents Arizona Cardinals Can Target in 2026
