ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Roswell native and new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham is Atlanta through and through, all the way down to the very first pair of dress shoes he ever bought at a store not too far from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Cunningham now has the task of making an already talented roster that much better.
“Smart, tough, physical,” Cunningham said. “We’re going to build through the trenches, if you look at all those teams, that’s the philosophy.”
“The cupboard isn’t bare. We have talent on this roster but it’s going to be my job to continue to add competition to it,” he said.
The good news?
Cunningham has already done it as an assistant general manager in Chicago, helping take the Bears team that had been to the playoffs just twice since 2010 all the way to an NFC North title this season.
That experience was one of the biggest factors for President of Football Matt Ryan, along with a shared vision of building a winner for the long haul, not just for the next couple of years.
“What does his process look like, how’s that going to look when you come in and are in control of that,” Ryan said. “We feel very strongly about his vision for us moving forward.”
“I never want to mortgage the future for the now,” Cunningham said. “You’ve got to be intentional and thoughtful in that approach. Draft, develop and retain, that’s going to be our philosophy here. You can’t have enough draft picks.”
“It felt easy,” Cunningham said. “I wanted to be here since day one and I’m grateful for this opportunity, I’m appreciative to be in this situation and I’m ready to roll.”
As one of his first responsibilities on the job, Cunningham will head to the NFL Combine, held in Indianapolis from Feb. 23 to March 2.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23-25. Atlanta does not currently own a first-round pick.
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