5 Cuts That Could Create Cap Space for the Atlanta Falcons
When a team has a ton of cap space the way that the Falcons do, it's tough to focus on people they should cut. However, there are five bad contracts currently on the roster that should be addressed in some way—most of them on the offensive side of the ball.
Atlanta needs some more money to fix the defense, though. The team went 6-10 in 2014 mainly due to its 32nd-ranked defense. In order for the Falcons to get their defense to average, they will have to fix their pass rush first and foremost, and adding some cash to the pile will only help.
RB Steven Jackson
1 of 5
When a career is at its end, it's not a beautiful thing. It can be downright sad and scary. Steven Jackson isn't at the sad and scary part yet, but with a switch to a zone-blocking scheme, the Falcons should cut their losses and release the legendary back.
Jackson would save $3.75 million if cut, and that money would be better spent on a nickel corner or a safety who can cover the deep third than it would be on Jackson. They could also use that money on a pass-rusher who can help transform the defense in 2015 and beyond.
Considering the scheme is known for producing 1,000-yard rushers the way Willy Wonka is known for producing chocolate bars, a high-priced running back becomes irrelevant for Atlanta. They would be better off just taking someone in the draft and using a cheap rookie contract to their advantage.
Likelihood: 90 percent
Current 2015 Cap Hit: $4,916,667
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $1,166,667
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $1,166,667
WR Harry Douglas
2 of 5
Harry Douglas is entering the final year of his contract with the Falcons and looks to keep his role as the third wide receiver in the offense. With the Falcons looking to run more vertical concepts, Douglas looks like someone who is worth keeping.
He isn't flashy and isn't explosive, but sometimes a solid, all-around wide receiver is all you really need to succeed in an offense. When that guy is a third receiver in your offense, you've done well. Douglas looks to be worth the approximately $4.4 million he's going to account for next year.
Cutting him won't make sense. But the Falcons could re-structure and extend him to see if he'll take a smaller contract. Ideally, he does this and frees up some more space so the Falcons can build their defense some more.
Likelihood: 10 percent
Current 2015 Cap Hit: $4,395,834
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $895,834
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $895,834
OT Sam Baker
3 of 5
Sam Baker is making too much money for what he gives to the Falcons. They could honestly look into a restructure should he want to stay to limit his cap hit due to his injury history was. At the very least, they need to take into account that he has played just four games over the past two seasons due to injury.
And he wasn't even really healthy for those. Baker is an average left tackle when he's at 100 percent. But with 2014's No. 6 overall pick, Jake Matthews, on the roster and looking like the long-term left tackle, the Falcons need to cut their losses with Baker.
After a certain point, the move becomes addition by subtraction. And yes, the Falcons could see if Baker can play right tackle, but Ryan Schraeder played well in 2014 and looks like a better fit for the zone-blocking scheme than Mike Tice's trap-style scheme.
Likelihood: 90 percent
Current 2015 Cap Hit: $7,300,000
Current 2016 Cap Hit: $8,050,000
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $9,200,000
2016 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $0
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $2,800,000
2016 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $6,400,000
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OG Justin Blalock
4 of 5
Justin Blalock is a top-25 offensive guard in today's NFL. He can pass-block effectively and is a solid run-blocker in a man-blocking scheme. The 6'3", 329-pound guard isn't the quickest or strongest offensive lineman out there, and he's aging, as he'll start the 2015 season at 31 years old.
The Falcons are moving to a zone-based running scheme, and that's going to make it tough for Blalock to fit. The zone scheme is based on quickness and agility off the line. While Blalock might be alright to start out, he's going to decline pretty quickly. However, he should be able to give Atlanta one full season.
That full season should be more than enough to say that he's worth keeping for a $3.79 million difference. Blalock is also a leader on that line, and with another year of him on the roster while the Falcons develop a player from the draft to take his role, cutting him next season just makes more sense.
Likelihood: 20 percent
Current 2015 Cap Hit: $7,910,000
Current 2016 Cap Hit: $7,110,000
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $4,120,000
2016 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $0
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $3,160,000
2016 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $960,000
DL Tyson Jackson
5 of 5
In terms of horrible contracts meeting horrible performance and horrible fit for new head coach Dan Quinn's defensive scheme, Tyson Jackson is probably the worst of the worst for Atlanta. The Falcons could save a ton of cash in the long term by cutting their losses with Jackson.
As you can see by the numbers below, cutting Jackson with a post-June 1 designation would save the Falcons $2.25 million in 2015 and $1.55 million in 2016. So it would make sense financially to take the easy savings and cut losses with Jackson.
On top of that, the former 3-4 5-technique failed to show any talent in a 3-technique role for the Falcons in 2014. He's not a good fit for a four-man front and should wind up with a 3-4 team in the future. Atlanta doesn't need him, but he could wind up sticking if assistant general manager Scott Pioli wants to keep him.
Likelihood: 50 percent
Current 2015 Cap Hit: $3,850,000
Current 2016 Cap Hit: $6,350,000
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $7,900,000
2016 Cap Hit if Cut Now: $0
2015 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $1,600,000
2016 Cap Hit if Cut Post-June 1: $4,800,000
All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.
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