Atlanta Falcons Rumors: TOP Falcons Free Agent Targets After The 2025 NFL Trade Deadline

Atlanta Falcons Rumors: TOP Falcons Free Agent Targets After The 2025 NFL Trade Deadline

Now that the trade deadline has officially passed and the Falcons didn’t make any singular move getting a player or trading away a player, I thought it would be the perfect time to at least update you guys on who the very best free agents that are still available that are in theory ready to sign today. Welcome in Falcons fans to Falcons Today by Chat Sports. My name is Moose and like I said, today’s episode is going to be all about the players that the Atlanta Falcons can target now or in free agency. Now, you do have to keep an open mind by saying that these players might be gone by the time free agency comes about. So, if you were serious about signing a player for relatively cheap, this could be the time to do it. However, I’m not entirely sure right now that the best interest of the Atlanta Falcons is to go out and sign a player while we still have this coaching staff. So, I’ll ask you the question right now. I’ll just make sure that this is the pinned comment for you all. Should the Falcons sign another player this season? Look, I would totally understand why you would say sign, right? You want something to feel good about. You want something to feel, you know, excited about. So, I’ve highlighted five players that in the event the Falcons were to go out and at least make a move, some of these could make sense based off of the talent and the fit for what the Atlanta Falcons currently are. But let me know in the comments section down below. First free agent target, Christian Wilkins. And I’m going to be completely honest with you, Wilkins is one of those players that like I still don’t know why on earth a team has not called him up because he is a ridiculous talent. But something tells me that those locker room issues are still lingering and looming and kind of gossiped around at the water cooler of the NFL. And it’s also still unclear if that uh you know I think what was it? His foot injury that he was dealing with there, producer Reed, something like that. the Raiders got rid of him basically out of nowhere. There were some rumblings that he was kind of a locker room weirdo, I think is the best way to say it. Um, he hasn’t really visited with anybody, so it just kind of sounds like he’s biting his time until this next upcoming season. There’s nothing wrong with taking a year off, but still though, you still look at like all of the reports that came out from Las Vegas and everybody’s saying the same thing. They’re like, “Yeah, man. He’s just uh he’s kind of weird. He’s kind of weird.” But as a talent, he’s unbelievable. Let’s go back to even 2022, just three seasons ago. I mean, 16 tackles for loss, three and a half sacks, two force fumbles. You want to talk about that plug up the middle, a defensive tackle that could sure and solidify that defensive line that the Falcons clearly have a problem with, specifically when stopping the run. Holy Canada, man. I don’t even know what that means, but I said it anyway. But I’ll say this also, I don’t want Wilkins. Um, it’s too much weird vibes for me and and honestly with the current state of the locker room as it already is, Wilkins does not seem like a good fit here in Atlanta. As a talent and as a player, absolutely. But you have to look beyond just the talent. There’s a reason that the Las Vegas Raiders, who are defunct of talent, got rid of him. I mean, look at the game last night. you saw a perfect example of how bad the Raiders are when they took on the Denver Broncos and yet still they were like, “Yeah, we want to stay completely clear of that mess.” So, that just goes to show you what uh the vibes surrounding Christian Wilkins are as well. And I’ll remind you that this is probably one of the biggest areas that the Falcons need to address in the off season. Whether that be in terms of going out and drafting a player or if that means going out and signing a player in free agency. The Falcons have one of the lightest box rates in the entire NFL. They run the third highest light box rate in the league. Also highlighted by their 1.4 4 yards per contact or before contact against the run, which is 20th in the NFL. And their explosive play rate is actually really good. Explosive play rate allowed. That is second in the NFL. So, the Falcons clearly have a problem. They can’t stop the paper cut bleeding. That’s exactly what it is. So, Christian Wilkins could be one of those options that you go after. Now, let’s talk about guys that make a little bit more sense in terms of locker room vibe, but also talent. Asante Samuel Jr. is another really legitimate quarterback that has been visiting a lot of teams recently. He’s going to be signing very soon. He’s been medically cleared. He had spinal fusion surgery, so he was really banged up last year. But this guy is a legitimate lockdown corner. Would I ever say that he’s top five in the NFL? No, probably not. But at his very best, he is a top 15 corner, period. And if you put him on the opposite side of AJ Terrell, it would move mountains. He is finally cleared for football activities after that spinal fusion like we just talked about. He has been in touch with many teams according to ESPN reports and he’s been planning to make free agency visits. Now, this could be an opportunity to work alongside an already really great secondary. And if you look at the numbers, they absolutely back up what I’m talking about. 2023 13 PBUs. This guy is a lock down mirroring corner that can absolutely make plays on the ball. He is ridiculously talented. Now, he deals with this thing called stingers. And a stinger essentially is kind of like when your muscle kind of freezes up specifically in the neck area. It limited it limits mobility and it’s incredibly painful. And the doctors also say that if one of these things were to flare up during a game and you get hit the wrong way, you could be paralyzed, which is a very, very scary thing to see. So, we’re happy that he’s healthy. We’re happy that he’s been cleared from football activities. And like I mentioned, he’s already made some visits, visited with the Packers, visited with the Vikings, and with the Carolina Panthers. They’re clearly trying to beef up that roster. Why not make a call to his agent and say, “Hey, we’re in desperate need of another lockdown corner. If you want to join one of the best secondaries in the NFL, statistically speaking, come on over to Atlanta. And by the way, speaking of Atlanta, if you love fresh Atlanta Falcons content all season long and offseason long, hit that subscribe button right now. I love these kinds of videos because it gets away from the obvious hoham of what we’ve seen from the Falcons on the football field this year and kind of looks towards the future. Now, coming up, I’m going to give you my final three free take two final three free agent targets. Now, before I do that, I have to tell you about my friends over at Factor. The great thing about Factor is is as the season changes and the weather gets even colder, finding time to cook can absolutely be a struggle. You know, the kids are going back to school, you’re back in your busier routine, and that’s why Factor comes into play. Their chef prepped dietitian approved meals make it easy to stay on track and enjoy something comforting and delicious no matter how hectic the season gets. Savor global flavors and for the first time try Asian inspired meals with bold flavors influenced by China, Thailand and more. You get more variety and more meals choosing from a wider selection of weekly meal options including premium seafood choices like salmon and shrimp at no extra cost. You can eat smart at factormeals.com/falcons chat50 off. And use code falcons chat50 off to get 50% off your first box plus free breakfast for one year. That’s code falcons chat50 off at factormeals.com for 50% off your first box plus free breakfast for one year. Get delicious ready to eat meals delivered with factor. Offer only valid for new factor customers with code and qualifying autorenewing subscription purchase. All of that in the comments and description of today’s video. All right, let’s move on to our third free agent target. Somebody that I believe Falcons fans are already pretty familiar with, Shaq Barrett. And Sha Barrett’s, look, I’m going to be completely honest with you, his better days are most likely behind him. However, does that mean that he can’t be a nice little plugandplay player? Sure, of course. And he kind of plays like a hybrid linebacker/defensive end. It’s weird. He’s got that like ability to drop back in coverage, but he can also play as a pressure player. You can see that by his tackles for loss and his sacks. Like in 2021, he had 10 sacks. And for somebody that’s labeled as a linebacker, I don’t necessarily want to even qualify him as an edge. He’s kind of like a doit all defensive player. He can play the end, he can play the edge, he can play linebacker. But I mean, look, he got one tackle in 2024. So, it’s clear that uh kind of on the decline, but again, none of these players that I’m listing, by the way, outside of maybe Christian Wilkins, are like the best options available. There’s a reason that they’re all unsigned as free agents, even halfway through the 2025 season. Christian Wilkins is probably the only player on this list that I’m sure teams want him right now based off of the talent, but let’s be honest, locker room cancer. So, all these other guys on the list that I’m going to I’m going to give to you, they all have a glaring problem. Either they’re on the decline, they’ve got injury history or attitude problems. Kind of like the next guy on the list. Oh boy, Deontay Johnson. Now, I put this guy on the list because again, if we’re talking about wide receiver talents, this is a triedand-rue number two wide receiver. He is, go back to 2022, go back to 2021, this is a guy that had over a,000 yards receiving, 882 yards receiving, 700 yards receiving, and he also finds the end zone. Maybe not as frequently as you would like, but this guy’s got a major attitude problem. What’s he been on Reed? three or four separate teams in the last calendar year. It’s ridiculous. He spent time with the Browns. He spent time with the Ravens. He spent time with the Texans. Every single one of them washed their hands clean of Deontay Johnson. Really great talent, but he’s a locker room cancer. with the current state of the Atlanta Falcons, with the way that this head coaching staff has not even unified the current state of the locker room, Deontay Johnson would not be a great fit. However, with the lack of wide receiver depth that you’ve currently got, you got Drake London and then basically everybody else, this could be a lastditch home run effort and maybe maybe it sticks. So, if you wanted to go out and sign Deontay Johnson, it’s a fine addition. But like I said, I mean, Darnell Mooney is not even healthy. And Drake London is fantastic. Everybody else though is like, what are we doing? We got to figure it out. One of the areas that I’ll come up with when we do our Falcons mock drafts, I’m going to hammer wide receiver because Drake London needs some help. Our last free agent target is somebody that can drop back while Divine Diablo is still on IR. It’s Jawan Bentley, formerly with the New England Patriots. Now, Jawan Bentley, uh, I believe is not signed because I think he wants too big of a contract. I’d have to go back and double check, but that’s kind of what I’ve been getting from all of the hosts here at Chat Sports. The intel that I’ve gathered is he really wants to be paid like a big-time linebacker. I’m not sure that everybody wants to pay him like a big-time linebacker considering the injury that he sustained in 2024, but look at those tackle numbers. 114, 125, 109. And let’s be honest, JD Bertrand, oh boy. Um, is he even gonna be on the team next year? That dude is small. He’s not good in pass coverage. He just gets bullied by bigger offensive players. And as an inside linebacker, that cannot be your MO. So, here was my solution way back about a month ago when I had talked about resigning Kaden Ellis. If you move Kaden Ellis to edge with Jay Walker and James Pierce Jr., now you got something cooking. That’s a big three right there. because I truly believe that while Kaden Ellis might be good in dropping back in coverage, he’s a much better pressure player. That’s where he is going to be utilized. So, if you signed a guy like Jawan Bentley, you could focus more on Kaden Ellis just rushing the passer alongside Jaylen Walker who is seemingly coming on and James Pierce Jr. who on any given Sunday is one of the most talented pass rushers on the field. He’s got to find a little bit more consistency, but he’s a rookie. So, your inside linebackers could be Devon Diablo when he comes back and Jawan Bentley. And then, like I said, you just shift Kaden Ellis up to the edge. That’s a hell of a big three. A hell of a big three. And I’m tired of hearing about Troy Anderson. We got the news yesterday that Raheem Morris said, “Well, you never want to rule it out. Never want to rule out that he could come back.” Well, we were told that he was on the pup list and that he could come back as early as week five or week six. I mean, Brilan Trice, same thing. We’ve got all of these players that were told, “Hey, things could happen, great things could come about, and yet we never see it.” So, I don’t want to hear any more about Troy Anderson. You’ve got to figure out a solution to the Troy Anderson problem. I don’t know if that means cutting him. I don’t know if that means trying to trade him next season. I don’t know what that means, but right now, he’s a non-factor for the Atlanta Falcons, period. Those are free agent targets. Christian Wilkins, Asante Samuel Jr., Shaq Barrett, Deontay Johnson, and Jawan Bentley. Obviously, there’s more free agents that you could go out and sign. These were the five that I fel felt were either the most needed for the Atlanta Falcons or probably the best fit. So, either way, you let me know what my free agent list looks like. Great it for me. If you think this list sucks, give it an F. If it gives If you think it’s great, give it an A. If it’s somewhere in between, maybe a B or C. Either way, defend your answer down in the comment section down below. That’s going to do it for us on today’s episode of Falcons Today. Falcons fans, rise up and be cool.

Atlanta Falcons free agent news after the NFL trade deadline is the main subject of today’s Falcons Today episode by Chat Sports. The dirty birds currently sit at 3-5 in the 2025 NFL season and are watching the fabric of the NFC South crumble before their very eyes. Moose, Falcons host, claims that these free agents in today’s episode could be last ditch efforts for Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris to save the season. Moose lists, Christian Wilkins, Diontae Johnson, Asante Samuel Jr, Shaq Barrett and Ja’whan Bently as the players the Falcons could sign right now if they felt like they could save the 2025 NFL season.

Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with chef-prepared, dietitian-approved ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. Use our special link https://www.factormeals.com/falconschat50off and promo code: falconschat50off to get 50% off!

Falcons fans! Subscribe to Falcons Today to stay updated on the Red and Black: https://www.youtube.com/falconstv?sub_confirmation=1

Atlanta Falcons free agent targets:
No.1: Christian Wilkins: DT
No.2: Asante Samuel Jr: CB
No.3: Shaq Barrett: DE
No.4: Diontae Johnson: WR
No.5: Ja’Whaun Bentley: LB

Asante Samuel team visits:
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Carolina Panthers

Falcons Today wants to hear from you in the comments!

Our Chat Sports Website has more Atlanta Falcons news & rumors: http://chatsports.com/atlanta-falcons

Love fresh Atlanta Falcons content? Hit Subscribe right now!

REAL DIRTY BIRD? Turn on your notifications and don’t miss any Falcons Today
YouTube videos 🔔

All the Atlanta Falcons YouTube videos in case you missed them:
– Atlanta Falcons Get Good & Bad News Before Their Week 10 Matchup vs. Indianapolis Colts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pluuFotqLwM
– Atlanta Falcons Make A SURPRISING Roster Move After NFL Trade Deadline | Falcons News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVmhKEOPcrk
– 🚨JUST IN: Falcons Make Multiple Roster Moves On NFL Trade Deadline Day + Falcons News & NFL Trades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9cZ-W8KkNs

Falcons Defensive Coaches:
– Head Coach: Raheem Morris
– Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Ulbrich
– Assistant Head Coach/Defense: Jerry Gray
– DB Coach: Justin Hood
– DL Coach: Jay Rodgers
– Inside LB Coach: Barrett Rudd
– Outside LB Coach: Jacquies Smith

Atlanta Falcons team stats:
– Light Box Rate is 36.2% (30th)
– 1.4 Yards before contact (20th)
– Explosive Play % 3.9 (2nd)

Got a hot take you want Moose to see? Hit him up on X: https://x.com/Moose_NFL

Want the Falcons to be great this year? Hit that like button 👍

For the best coverage across the NFL and NBA, and MLB subscribe to the main Chat Sports YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@chatsports?sub_confirmation=1

Falcons fans want to stay in the know! Share this video to keep them informed

#Falcons #FalconsNews #FalconsRumors #CSFM2025 #ad #CSB