April 14, 2025 • 17 mins
Falcons Digital Reporter Terrin Waack joins Erin Summers to discuss Atlanta's offseason moves and what to expect from the Falcons in the upcoming draft.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome in to the New Orleans Saints Podcast, presented by Seatcake.
You'll hear from players, coaches, broadcasters, and writers that cover
the NFL on a daily basis. The New Orleans Saints
Podcast starts right now. Here's your host, Aaron Summers.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Welcome into the New Orleans Saints Podcast. Aaron Summers here.
We're continuing our draft preview podcasts this week and we're
looking in to the NFC South opponents, starting off with
the Atlanta Falcons today, then we'll hit the Carolina Panthers
in Tampa Bay Bucks later this week. We need to
know what the opponents are doing, how they fared in
free agency, and what their needs are come draft day
(00:50):
so we can level up with the competition here, right,
I mean, we need to make sure that we're taking
the NFC South this season, so got to do all
the intel we can right now. Joining me on the
Saints Podcast today is Falcons digital team reporter Tarren Walk
Maybe a familiar name for some of you, as she
used to work here in New Orleans at the Times
(01:10):
to Qune and NOLA dot Com as a Saints beat writer.
So so yes, she is now in enemy territory, but
she has a lot of love for this city, so
we're not going to hold it against her too much.
Let's bring Taran in now. Tarren, thank you so much
for joining me on the New Orleans Saints podcast. It's
good to see you, to have you on here. We
(01:32):
miss you here in New Orleans. How are you again?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
I am back on this show again, but this time
virtually and not in person, yes, because I am multiple
states away.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You are covering the Atlanta Falcons, our enemy, but you
are here today to give us a low down on
everything that they're about to do going into the draft,
what they've been doing in the off season. So let's
start with free agency. How active were the Falcons going
into the free agency period.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
They weren't all that active, but I think that was
to be expected. It's tough to like think back to
last season when they were super active with the Kirk
Cousins signing and then the Matthew Judon trade and the
Justin Simmons signing, and it was like a bunch of
big names. And so now when you look at this
year's free agency class in comparison, you kind of scratch
your head, like one of these is not like the other.
(02:23):
But that just came down to like the finances of
it all, Like they didn't have the money to make
these big, big moves, and you can see like fans
upset on Twitter being like why didn't we go for
this person?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Why didn't we go for that person?
Speaker 3 (02:36):
It's like, with what money for lack of a better question,
I make the comparison where it's like you're trying to
find a Lulu Lemon and TJ Max, You're trying to
find a steal among regular price things. And so they
weren't as active as maybe somewhat have hoped, But I
think they were active in a way they needed to
be to keep the ship steady moving forward. And that
(03:01):
went both with like bringing people back from last season's roster,
but also bringing in new names to fit certain needs.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
With the people that they brought in, obviously there's going
to be some people that leave in free agency as well.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
What were like the biggest.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Moves, how they impact the current roster leaving you maybe
some new needs or.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
I think the obvious biggest loss was defensive tackle Grady
Jarrett because he wasn't even going to be a free
agent and he ended up being released and signing with
the Chicago Bears. And I think that one just hits
the most because Grady has spent his entire career in Atlanta.
He was drafted by the Falcons. He's from the Atlanta area,
(03:48):
so he was kind of like the heart and soul
of the city in a sense on the team. So
that one's just like hurt more than anything, I think
from a personal standpoint among the fan base and even internally,
that wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was
the business decision. Another lost to free agency that hurts
(04:08):
the starting lineup is center Drew Dolmon. He became a
free agent and his price went skirt way up, and
so he also went to the Chicago Bears. But that
left a void along the offensive line, which had otherwise
been consistent for the past two years. Like last year
and the year before were the same starting lineups, which
is really good, except for now it's not because once
(04:32):
like your anchor is gone, they want Ryan Noozle to
fill that void. And Ryan played in I think it
was eight games last season.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
You haven't penciled in.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
There's all the nuanced with like the tender and him being.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
A restricted free agent.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
But like for all intents and purposes, Ryan Noozle should
be the Falcons starting center. There will obviously be competition
in training camp as always, but to keep it very simple,
that's the statement I'm going to make. So when it
comes to like new people coming in, you have I
think the biggest one was Leonard Floyd signing an edge
(05:08):
who's also actually from Georgia, so he's coming home, quote unquote,
and that was probably the biggest name. And it's I
don't want to say it's funny to say that, because
I do think he has a lot of potential and
his resume shows as much too. But again this is
like not the flashiest name when you see all these
other big names like being thrown out around and even
(05:30):
last year in comparison. So but that was a good
one that fills in need because the Falcons were second
to last in sacks last year with thirty one at
slot thirty one. We love a little numerical symmetry, so
they brought in to help that area. You have Jordan
Fuller coming in to possibly play opposite of Jesse Bates
as a starting safety because Justin Simmons became a free
(05:52):
agent when his one year deal end and so otherwise,
you have defensive lineman Morgan Fox coming in presumably to
help fill the void left behind by Grady Jarrett, but
you do have other people already internally that they hope
can show improvement. I think they're relying a lot on
last year's draft class that was very defensive heavy, apart
from Michael Pennix Junior in.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
The first round.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
It's a bunch of moving pieces, and I could keep
going on and on, but it's to answer like the
original question, It's not the biggest moving and shaking that
you could see from a team in the off season,
but they're like doing the most that they can with.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
What they have. Sure, there are definitely some restrictions on
the salary cap space and understand the police, so you
got to work within that. But going into the draft,
what do you think the Falcons are highlighting as positions
or players that they might want to go after to
fill some of their still needs.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Everyone in the front office, from Rickey Morris, Terry Fano,
and Arthur Blank have all said that expected defense emphasis,
which isn't a surprise because the offense you kind of
feel is set apart from that center position, and if
Brian Musel puts pen to paper, then that is set.
So defensively is kind of where there's a bunch of
(07:10):
question marks. Where again, like I said, the sacks weren't
a good thing. They really want to improve the pass rush,
and that's where a lot of mock drafts have the
Falcons going at number fifteen, but at the same time
they only have what was.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
It, five picks.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
It's a franchise love for them where they're like, Okay,
do they stay at fifteen or do they stray back
a bit to pick up more capital. So there's a
lot of different ways they could go with. But I
do think that first round pick will be the defensive
side of the ball, just because I mean, if they're
telling me they're emphasizey defense, I'm going to believe it
(07:45):
for now.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, is Terry Vauntain has not drafted a defensive player
in the first round since he took over things there.
This is going to be his fifth draft under him,
so you think you're you are betting on it being
a defensive player for the first time.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
I'm not a gambling woman, Eric, but.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's tough because he's also never made a first round
trade with the Falcons, So I feel like you got
to go one way or the other with this. Something
for the first time is gonna happen. Either he is
going to draft a defensive player at number fifteen and
just stay put, or if they do trade the number fifteen,
that's another first time thing. So it's gonna be a
(08:26):
fun one. I don't know what I would put my
money on more though, I know because I don't gamble.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
But over here on the same side, Michaelimis doesn't usually
trade back either, but that's been going around as something
that they might do as well. With the Falcons, they
have just three selections in the first six rounds, so
they don't have, like you said, that many picks, and
they don't have a lot at the front end of
the draft either. So it's going to be very interesting
(08:55):
in that regard. Is some of the players that you
guys have been looking at, You have any specific names
that we should be watching as draft day comes.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
I've been following a lot of the mock drafts. They
have the Marshall Edge, Mike Green, a lot of them
coming to Atlanta. They'll say which I think the fan
base would love, Georgia Edge, Michael Williams. They just want
a bulldog in here because then there's another one Georgia
linebacker Jaylen Walker.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Yeah, you have.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
The Texas defensive the lineman words Jamar Stewart, Michigan cornerback
which would be a plot twist for the secondary Will Johnson,
and then an boy and linebacker Johan Campbell, which as
someone who went to Alabama, I wouldn't be opposed to.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I have seen cornerback as maybe a second pick off
the board for the Falcons as a position need.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, because you have aj Terrell, who has been the
falcons starting cornerback since he was drafted, and they did
bring back Mike Hughes was who was his counterpart last season,
But even last year they were like, should they draft
a cornerback? Should Aj Terrell have someone younger who can
(10:13):
grow with, or like potentially a bigger name. Mike Hughes
had done a really good job in Atlanta, but for
some reason, it's always like, Okay, who else can we
get for Aj Terrell to run alongside? That will be interesting.
I'm more so curious, I think with safety because with
Justin Simmons being a free agent, now, who's going to
(10:36):
run alongside Jesse Bates and they did sign, as I said,
Jordan Fuller, so that could be an easy plug. You
do have DeMarco Hellams coming back from an injury, so
I'll be curious to see how he responds to that
and can show growth in his third year. But that's
another one where it's like, does Jesse get a bigger name,
(10:57):
does Jesse get someone younger that he can help teach
and grow? And both Aj and Jesse have a lot
of experience in a sense that maybe someone new or
would benefit from that. So the secondary is another position
of need. An area I'm looking at is the offensive line,
because yes, there's the whole situation with the center and
(11:18):
Ryan Neuzel has experienced, but not as much as preferred sometimes.
But then you look at Jake Matthews is them during
I think his twelve season, so he's getting older. Chris
Linstrom is locked in for a good amount of time,
he's still within his first ten years, and you have
Cale McGarry who will be a free agent I think
(11:39):
next year, and then Matthew Bergon has two years left
on his rookie deal, so it's like, who's going to
follow this wave that do you bring in younger offensive
linemen to fill in the blanks behind them more so
than anything.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, well we can attest to over here that offensive
linemen you can never have too many of them. The
way this past season wit so, I mean, we went
through them, so definitely an area that you need to
make sure you are solid. And for the quarterback situation
obviously made a lot of annoise last season drafting Michael
(12:14):
Penix Junior. What's the latest with Kirk Cousins and how
does that impact things with the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
The latest is that Michael Pennix Junior is the starting quarterback.
As for Kirk Cousins, everyone has said repeatedly, like those
who make these kind of decisions not yours, truly. I mean,
I've listened to them, and I think they're saying what
they truly believe that they're comfortable with Kirk Cousins being
the backup if that's what it comes down to, because
(12:41):
you do have the no trade cause, so Kirk would
have to wait that and then all three parties would
have to be in agreement, Like it's not just him
being able to choose somewhere, it's also the Falcons being
okay with it. And then the other team being okay
with it. So there's so many moving pieces in that regard.
But as of right now, oh, they've said it multiple
times that they're happy with Kirk Cousins as the backup.
(13:05):
He has a lot of experience that could help Michael
Pennick Junior. They believe in Kirk's character enough that it
wouldn't be an issue in the locker room, like they
saw it at the end of last season that Kirk
was helping Michael more so than hindering. So when it
comes to that, I think it's just a waiting game.
Maybe conversations will pick up more after the draft, or
(13:27):
maybe even more so during training camp, like later in
the summer, because then you're seeing like how people are
actually performing and if injuries pop up and things like that.
But as of right now, the latest is you got
Michael Pennick Junior as QB one, Kirk Cousins as QB two.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
You kind of alluded to this earlier when we were
talking about needs and the side of the ball they're
focusing on being defense. So you feel like the strength
of the team going into this next season right now
is on the offensive side.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yes, but that's I don't want to knock the defense.
I'm really excited to see what Jeff Albert can do
with it. But when it does come to what's currently stronger,
it would be the offense. And it's exciting to think
about what Michael Pennock Junior can do with a full
season of work. Like it's a younger offense when it
comes to skill positions, and so this is a unit
(14:21):
that could potentially grow and go a long distance together.
And Michael Pennock Junior just from talking to quote unquote
experts at the NFL Combine or talking like to scouts,
or talking to position coaches or other writers, like anyone
involved in the NFL world, it's just like there's a
(14:42):
lot of excitement and expectation when it comes to Michael
and I think a full season you're truly going to
be able to see what he can do.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
It's going to be interesting. The NFC South is I
don't know if it's like one of the most fascinating
conferences people like watch, but it's always a battle people.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
There's always something going on.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
You never know what's going to happen. So yeah, it's
going to be I think an interesting draft in general,
there's a lot of big names that are getting a
lot of a lot of pub right now, and we'll
see where they end up. I don't know, like over
here we've been talking about Shodor Sanders or Jackson dart
or are we really going to go for a quarterback?
(15:24):
Or what's the future here for the Saints. And I
feel like there's a lot of needs for a lot
of the teams in the NFC South right now to address.
So it'll be an interesting draft and it's going to
be here before we know it. But I appreciate you
giving us all the details we needed to know on
the Falcons.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Happy to be back on the show.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yes always, next time in person.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Appreciate Tarn joining me. So we are looking out for
their first pick the Falcons have is at number fifteen
in the draft, and then as mentioned, not a lot
of picks for them, So the Falcons are going to
have to make the most of the picks that they
do have. It will be an interesting training camp for
them to see how things shake out. As for here
with the Saints, the off season workouts did start today,
(16:11):
so I've been seeing a lot of players in and
out of the building getting prepared for the season OTAs
which are coming up after the draft, and getting a
jumpstart on what things could look like this season under
new head coach Kellen Moore. Thank you so much for
joining me today. Later in the week again Wednesday Friday
will continue our NFC South previews, and then next week
(16:32):
it is all about the Saints as we get ready
for the NFL Draft kicking off on April twenty fourth.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Saints Podcast presented
by seat Gee. Join us three times per week on
New Orleans Saints dot com, the Saints Mobile app, or
you can doewnload the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you
next time right here on the New Orleans Saints Podcast
to presented by seat Geek.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Hmm
Welcome in to the New Orleans Saints Podcast, presented by Seatcake.
You'll hear from players, coaches, broadcasters, and writers that cover
the NFL on a daily basis. The New Orleans Saints
Podcast starts right now. Here's your host, Aaron Summers.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Welcome into the New Orleans Saints Podcast. Aaron Summers here.
We're continuing our draft preview podcasts this week and we're
looking in to the NFC South opponents, starting off with
the Atlanta Falcons today, then we'll hit the Carolina Panthers
in Tampa Bay Bucks later this week. We need to
know what the opponents are doing, how they fared in
free agency, and what their needs are come draft day
(00:50):
so we can level up with the competition here, right,
I mean, we need to make sure that we're taking
the NFC South this season, so got to do all
the intel we can right now. Joining me on the
Saints Podcast today is Falcons digital team reporter Tarren Walk
Maybe a familiar name for some of you, as she
used to work here in New Orleans at the Times
(01:10):
to Qune and NOLA dot Com as a Saints beat writer.
So so yes, she is now in enemy territory, but
she has a lot of love for this city, so
we're not going to hold it against her too much.
Let's bring Taran in now. Tarren, thank you so much
for joining me on the New Orleans Saints podcast. It's
good to see you, to have you on here. We
(01:32):
miss you here in New Orleans. How are you again?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
I am back on this show again, but this time
virtually and not in person, yes, because I am multiple
states away.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
You are covering the Atlanta Falcons, our enemy, but you
are here today to give us a low down on
everything that they're about to do going into the draft,
what they've been doing in the off season. So let's
start with free agency. How active were the Falcons going
into the free agency period.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
They weren't all that active, but I think that was
to be expected. It's tough to like think back to
last season when they were super active with the Kirk
Cousins signing and then the Matthew Judon trade and the
Justin Simmons signing, and it was like a bunch of
big names. And so now when you look at this
year's free agency class in comparison, you kind of scratch
your head, like one of these is not like the other.
(02:23):
But that just came down to like the finances of
it all, Like they didn't have the money to make
these big, big moves, and you can see like fans
upset on Twitter being like why didn't we go for
this person?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Why didn't we go for that person?
Speaker 3 (02:36):
It's like, with what money for lack of a better question,
I make the comparison where it's like you're trying to
find a Lulu Lemon and TJ Max, You're trying to
find a steal among regular price things. And so they
weren't as active as maybe somewhat have hoped, But I
think they were active in a way they needed to
be to keep the ship steady moving forward. And that
(03:01):
went both with like bringing people back from last season's roster,
but also bringing in new names to fit certain needs.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
With the people that they brought in, obviously there's going
to be some people that leave in free agency as well.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
What were like the biggest.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Moves, how they impact the current roster leaving you maybe
some new needs or.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
I think the obvious biggest loss was defensive tackle Grady
Jarrett because he wasn't even going to be a free
agent and he ended up being released and signing with
the Chicago Bears. And I think that one just hits
the most because Grady has spent his entire career in Atlanta.
He was drafted by the Falcons. He's from the Atlanta area,
(03:48):
so he was kind of like the heart and soul
of the city in a sense on the team. So
that one's just like hurt more than anything, I think
from a personal standpoint among the fan base and even internally,
that wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was
the business decision. Another lost to free agency that hurts
(04:08):
the starting lineup is center Drew Dolmon. He became a
free agent and his price went skirt way up, and
so he also went to the Chicago Bears. But that
left a void along the offensive line, which had otherwise
been consistent for the past two years. Like last year
and the year before were the same starting lineups, which
is really good, except for now it's not because once
(04:32):
like your anchor is gone, they want Ryan Noozle to
fill that void. And Ryan played in I think it
was eight games last season.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
You haven't penciled in.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
There's all the nuanced with like the tender and him being.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
A restricted free agent.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
But like for all intents and purposes, Ryan Noozle should
be the Falcons starting center. There will obviously be competition
in training camp as always, but to keep it very simple,
that's the statement I'm going to make. So when it
comes to like new people coming in, you have I
think the biggest one was Leonard Floyd signing an edge
(05:08):
who's also actually from Georgia, so he's coming home, quote unquote,
and that was probably the biggest name. And it's I
don't want to say it's funny to say that, because
I do think he has a lot of potential and
his resume shows as much too. But again this is
like not the flashiest name when you see all these
other big names like being thrown out around and even
(05:30):
last year in comparison. So but that was a good
one that fills in need because the Falcons were second
to last in sacks last year with thirty one at
slot thirty one. We love a little numerical symmetry, so
they brought in to help that area. You have Jordan
Fuller coming in to possibly play opposite of Jesse Bates
as a starting safety because Justin Simmons became a free
(05:52):
agent when his one year deal end and so otherwise,
you have defensive lineman Morgan Fox coming in presumably to
help fill the void left behind by Grady Jarrett, but
you do have other people already internally that they hope
can show improvement. I think they're relying a lot on
last year's draft class that was very defensive heavy, apart
from Michael Pennix Junior in.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
The first round.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
It's a bunch of moving pieces, and I could keep
going on and on, but it's to answer like the
original question, It's not the biggest moving and shaking that
you could see from a team in the off season,
but they're like doing the most that they can with.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
What they have. Sure, there are definitely some restrictions on
the salary cap space and understand the police, so you
got to work within that. But going into the draft,
what do you think the Falcons are highlighting as positions
or players that they might want to go after to
fill some of their still needs.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Everyone in the front office, from Rickey Morris, Terry Fano,
and Arthur Blank have all said that expected defense emphasis,
which isn't a surprise because the offense you kind of
feel is set apart from that center position, and if
Brian Musel puts pen to paper, then that is set.
So defensively is kind of where there's a bunch of
(07:10):
question marks. Where again, like I said, the sacks weren't
a good thing. They really want to improve the pass rush,
and that's where a lot of mock drafts have the
Falcons going at number fifteen, but at the same time
they only have what was.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
It, five picks.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
It's a franchise love for them where they're like, Okay,
do they stay at fifteen or do they stray back
a bit to pick up more capital. So there's a
lot of different ways they could go with. But I
do think that first round pick will be the defensive
side of the ball, just because I mean, if they're
telling me they're emphasizey defense, I'm going to believe it
(07:45):
for now.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, is Terry Vauntain has not drafted a defensive player
in the first round since he took over things there.
This is going to be his fifth draft under him,
so you think you're you are betting on it being
a defensive player for the first time.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
I'm not a gambling woman, Eric, but.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's tough because he's also never made a first round
trade with the Falcons, So I feel like you got
to go one way or the other with this. Something
for the first time is gonna happen. Either he is
going to draft a defensive player at number fifteen and
just stay put, or if they do trade the number fifteen,
that's another first time thing. So it's gonna be a
(08:26):
fun one. I don't know what I would put my
money on more though, I know because I don't gamble.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
But over here on the same side, Michaelimis doesn't usually
trade back either, but that's been going around as something
that they might do as well. With the Falcons, they
have just three selections in the first six rounds, so
they don't have, like you said, that many picks, and
they don't have a lot at the front end of
the draft either. So it's going to be very interesting
(08:55):
in that regard. Is some of the players that you
guys have been looking at, You have any specific names
that we should be watching as draft day comes.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
I've been following a lot of the mock drafts. They
have the Marshall Edge, Mike Green, a lot of them
coming to Atlanta. They'll say which I think the fan
base would love, Georgia Edge, Michael Williams. They just want
a bulldog in here because then there's another one Georgia
linebacker Jaylen Walker.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Yeah, you have.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
The Texas defensive the lineman words Jamar Stewart, Michigan cornerback
which would be a plot twist for the secondary Will Johnson,
and then an boy and linebacker Johan Campbell, which as
someone who went to Alabama, I wouldn't be opposed to.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
I have seen cornerback as maybe a second pick off
the board for the Falcons as a position need.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, because you have aj Terrell, who has been the
falcons starting cornerback since he was drafted, and they did
bring back Mike Hughes was who was his counterpart last season,
But even last year they were like, should they draft
a cornerback? Should Aj Terrell have someone younger who can
(10:13):
grow with, or like potentially a bigger name. Mike Hughes
had done a really good job in Atlanta, but for
some reason, it's always like, Okay, who else can we
get for Aj Terrell to run alongside? That will be interesting.
I'm more so curious, I think with safety because with
Justin Simmons being a free agent, now, who's going to
(10:36):
run alongside Jesse Bates and they did sign, as I said,
Jordan Fuller, so that could be an easy plug. You
do have DeMarco Hellams coming back from an injury, so
I'll be curious to see how he responds to that
and can show growth in his third year. But that's
another one where it's like, does Jesse get a bigger name,
(10:57):
does Jesse get someone younger that he can help teach
and grow? And both Aj and Jesse have a lot
of experience in a sense that maybe someone new or
would benefit from that. So the secondary is another position
of need. An area I'm looking at is the offensive line,
because yes, there's the whole situation with the center and
(11:18):
Ryan Neuzel has experienced, but not as much as preferred sometimes.
But then you look at Jake Matthews is them during
I think his twelve season, so he's getting older. Chris
Linstrom is locked in for a good amount of time,
he's still within his first ten years, and you have
Cale McGarry who will be a free agent I think
(11:39):
next year, and then Matthew Bergon has two years left
on his rookie deal, so it's like, who's going to
follow this wave that do you bring in younger offensive
linemen to fill in the blanks behind them more so
than anything.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, well we can attest to over here that offensive
linemen you can never have too many of them. The
way this past season wit so, I mean, we went
through them, so definitely an area that you need to
make sure you are solid. And for the quarterback situation
obviously made a lot of annoise last season drafting Michael
(12:14):
Penix Junior. What's the latest with Kirk Cousins and how
does that impact things with the Falcons.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
The latest is that Michael Pennix Junior is the starting quarterback.
As for Kirk Cousins, everyone has said repeatedly, like those
who make these kind of decisions not yours, truly. I mean,
I've listened to them, and I think they're saying what
they truly believe that they're comfortable with Kirk Cousins being
the backup if that's what it comes down to, because
(12:41):
you do have the no trade cause, so Kirk would
have to wait that and then all three parties would
have to be in agreement, Like it's not just him
being able to choose somewhere, it's also the Falcons being
okay with it. And then the other team being okay
with it. So there's so many moving pieces in that regard.
But as of right now, oh, they've said it multiple
times that they're happy with Kirk Cousins as the backup.
(13:05):
He has a lot of experience that could help Michael
Pennick Junior. They believe in Kirk's character enough that it
wouldn't be an issue in the locker room, like they
saw it at the end of last season that Kirk
was helping Michael more so than hindering. So when it
comes to that, I think it's just a waiting game.
Maybe conversations will pick up more after the draft, or
(13:27):
maybe even more so during training camp, like later in
the summer, because then you're seeing like how people are
actually performing and if injuries pop up and things like that.
But as of right now, the latest is you got
Michael Pennick Junior as QB one, Kirk Cousins as QB two.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
You kind of alluded to this earlier when we were
talking about needs and the side of the ball they're
focusing on being defense. So you feel like the strength
of the team going into this next season right now
is on the offensive side.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yes, but that's I don't want to knock the defense.
I'm really excited to see what Jeff Albert can do
with it. But when it does come to what's currently stronger,
it would be the offense. And it's exciting to think
about what Michael Pennock Junior can do with a full
season of work. Like it's a younger offense when it
comes to skill positions, and so this is a unit
(14:21):
that could potentially grow and go a long distance together.
And Michael Pennock Junior just from talking to quote unquote
experts at the NFL Combine or talking like to scouts,
or talking to position coaches or other writers, like anyone
involved in the NFL world, it's just like there's a
(14:42):
lot of excitement and expectation when it comes to Michael
and I think a full season you're truly going to
be able to see what he can do.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
It's going to be interesting. The NFC South is I
don't know if it's like one of the most fascinating
conferences people like watch, but it's always a battle people.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
There's always something going on.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
You never know what's going to happen. So yeah, it's
going to be I think an interesting draft in general,
there's a lot of big names that are getting a
lot of a lot of pub right now, and we'll
see where they end up. I don't know, like over
here we've been talking about Shodor Sanders or Jackson dart
or are we really going to go for a quarterback?
(15:24):
Or what's the future here for the Saints. And I
feel like there's a lot of needs for a lot
of the teams in the NFC South right now to address.
So it'll be an interesting draft and it's going to
be here before we know it. But I appreciate you
giving us all the details we needed to know on
the Falcons.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Happy to be back on the show.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yes always, next time in person.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Appreciate Tarn joining me. So we are looking out for
their first pick the Falcons have is at number fifteen
in the draft, and then as mentioned, not a lot
of picks for them, So the Falcons are going to
have to make the most of the picks that they
do have. It will be an interesting training camp for
them to see how things shake out. As for here
with the Saints, the off season workouts did start today,
(16:11):
so I've been seeing a lot of players in and
out of the building getting prepared for the season OTAs
which are coming up after the draft, and getting a
jumpstart on what things could look like this season under
new head coach Kellen Moore. Thank you so much for
joining me today. Later in the week again Wednesday Friday
will continue our NFC South previews, and then next week
(16:32):
it is all about the Saints as we get ready
for the NFL Draft kicking off on April twenty fourth.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Saints Podcast presented
by seat Gee. Join us three times per week on
New Orleans Saints dot com, the Saints Mobile app, or
you can doewnload the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you
next time right here on the New Orleans Saints Podcast
to presented by seat Geek.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Hmm
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