The Atlanta Falcons struggled mightily to find Matt Ryan 's replacement after the 2021 season, and they thought they had both a short-term answer in Kirk Cousins , who they inked to a $180 million deal, and a long-term one in Michael Penix Jr ., who the team surprisingly selected No. 8 overall in last year's draft. Cousins was coming off an Achilles tear in 2023 and struggled to return to form. Atlanta then handed the reins to Penix, and while the Falcons dropped two of his three starts, they averaged 32 points per game over that span.

Penix is now penned in as the starter, so the team spent the offseason focusing on improving a defense that had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL last year. The Falcons signed Leonard Floyd to a one-year, $10 million deal -- their biggest

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