Matt Ryan Reveals Who Will Control Falcons' Moves in NFL Draft, Free Agency After Cunningham Hire

New Atlanta Falcons president Matt Ryan made it clear that general manager Ian Cunningham would be steering the ship during free agency and the NFL draft.

"Ian's in charge," he told CBS Sports. "Ian's in charge of that space. I'm looking forward to learning about it. I said this other day at Ian's presser, I've never sat in a draft meeting. So Monday's going to be the first time I'm sitting in a draft meeting. I've got a lot to learn. So sitting, observing, being a fly on the wall. If there's something that Ian has a question about, or something I can help with, I'm all ears and I'm happy to share my opinion. But Ian is driving this boat, and he's the one leading us moving forward, and I'm excited about that. Ian is incredibly competent and qualified and he's awesome, so looking forward to watching him do his thing."

Cunningham previously served as the assistant general manager for the Chicago Bears over the past four years, and worked for the scouting and personnel departments with the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens before that.

"We are really excited about all of those experiences," Ryan previously told reporters. "He learned from incredible general managers during those stops, whether that be Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta in Baltimore, Howie Roseman in Philadelphia and Ryan Poles in Chicago. One of the biggest selling points for us on Ian was his experience in all areas of scouting. He has touched it all."

The big question in Atlanta, of course, is whether the team views quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as a viable option going forward. Ryan didn't commit to Penix as the starter when asked earlier in the week, saying that decision would ultimately be up to head coach Kevin Stefanski, but did clarify on Thursday that he's still "high" on Penix and believes in "his ability to throw the football, his ability to layer the football, to drive it to all different parts of the field."