Why the Atlanta Falcons Should Be Sellers at the 2014 Trade Deadline

The Atlanta Falcons are 2-6 overall and only one victory behind the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers. However, any chance of making a run at a divisional crown is nothing more than false hope.

The Falcons have inherent flaws in the construction of their roster. As a result, Atlanta should be one of the most active teams on the market before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

Mike Smith's squad just suffered an embarrassing 22-21 loss to the Detroit Lions in London. Falcons owner Arthur Blank voiced his displeasure to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Mark Bradley after the contest.  

“You’re up 21-0,” Blank said. “There’s no way you lose that game — just no way. There’s nothing else I can say.”

After suffering through the franchise's worst second-half collapse in the team's history, it only adds to a festering situation. The Falcons have lost five straight contests by a score of 149-89. The team's biggest problems stem from multiple season-ending injuries along the offensive line and a lack of talent along its defensive front. 

These problems will persist throughout the season and will continue to weigh the organization down like an anchor. 

The team's best option at this point in the season is to consider making some moves to provide ammunition for the franchise's future. 

CBS.com's Jason La Canfora brainstormed possible moves the Falcons could make to relieve salary-cap space while adding valuable draft picks: 

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If it was me, I'd be shopping Roddy White's contract, but that might be a tough sell. Devine Hester, however, would undoubtedly have demand, and with a $1M base salary and $2.5M next season, he could be more than a rental for a contending team. His work at receiver has been better than ever and a team like Seattle (Paul Richardson now being used in the base offense more), Baltimore (too many fumbles from Jacoby Jones), maybe even New England (used four different kick returners already), could use a spark in the return game. Seattle once dealt for Leon Washington. Hester has Hall of Fame credentials on special teams, hasn't slowed down much and is as motivated as ever. Seems like the kind of guy Bill Belichick would like, drawn to accomplished veterans. Can change a game in an instant with a kick or punt return. Well worth shopping.

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A constant of negotiating is to try and haggle from a position of strength. For the Falcons, the strength of the roster lies among its quarterback and his wide receivers. Since Matt Ryan is the team's franchise player, any move the Falcons make that can net something of value will come by trading one of the team's wide receivers. 

White is the obvious candidate, because he's 32 years old and on the downside of his career. 

Year	Catches	Yards	Yards per catch	Average yards after catch	Drop rate
2010	115	1,389	12.1	3.2	7.8
2011	100	1,296	13.0	3.6	15.0
2012	92	1,351	14.7	3.6	4.4
2013	63	711	11.3	1.9	12.7
2014*	33	419	12.7	2.9	15.2

The two most important aspects of the statistics provided above are the final two columns.

While White has never been considered one of the league's better receivers as it pertains to yards after the catch, his explosion is clearly lacking now that he's on the wrong side of 30.

Also, the veteran receiver's percentage of drops over the past two seasons is concerning. If a receiver can't be relied upon as a deep threat or explosive weapon in the offense, he must prove to be reliable. White hasn't been reliable as of late. 

The problem with attempting to deal White—and there would be suitors for his services, because he's still good enough to produce for a playoff contender—is the three-year, $18 million contract extension he received from the Falcons during the offseason. 

This alone makes him far more difficult to trade. White has a cap hit of over $6 million each of the next two seasons. But teams with cap space trying to make a playoff run this season still might inquire about a proven commodity that can help them in the short term. 

Hester's potential availability is an entirely different story. The returner/wide receiver seems to age like a fine wine. 

Even at 31 years old, Hester is still among the top six in kick return and punt return yardage. The returner has also proved to be a solid option at wide receiver for the Falcons. Hester is third on the team with 18 receptions for 263 yards. 

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

However, Atlanta's passing game is built around Julio Jones. With Harry Douglas healthy again, the Falcons have enough talent at wide receiver to absorb the losses of White or Hester. 

Another option La Canfora didn't discuss was the possibility of the Falcons moving beyond their veteran pass-rushers. Both Kroy Biermann and Osi Umenyiora are mismatches for defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's 3-4 scheme. The pair is better suited to play in a four-man front. 

Biermann has yet to register a sack and only managed three quarterback hits despite playing the fifth-most snaps of any player on the Falcons defense, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). A change of scenery could do wonders for the 29-year-old pass-rusher. 

Although, the Falcons may not be able to garner much for Biermann's services since he is a free agent after the season. 

Umenyiora, meanwhile, hasn't fared much better than his bookend. The veteran end has two quarterback hits and one sack. Like Biermann, Umenyiora is a free agent after the season. 

If the Falcons can drum up any interest in either player, the organization should accept whatever compensation is provided and move forward with Jonathan Massaquoi and Stansly Maponga as the team's primary pass-rushers. 

At worst, Atlanta should find a way to get a long, hard look at what the team's younger edge players can do in the defense. There doesn't seem to be any room for Biermann or Umenyiora within the scheme anymore. 

Now is the right time to make these moves. With the team entering its bye week, proper changes can be made to the lineup and have everyone ready to play Nov. 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Clearly, there is discontent and potentially pressure from the top of the organization. Two weeks ago, Blank told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jeff Schultz, "Do I want to scream? Yes. But not on the outside. I scream on the inside."

In order to appease the owner and possibly make a case to retain his job, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff needs to make some moves to change the makeup of the team's roster. 

Keeping aging players that are no longer helping your team win is the fastest way to be shown the door after the season. 

All salary information acquired from Spotrac.com. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.