Offseason brings free-agent choices

The Falcons, after being eliminated from the playoffs, have some key personnel decisions to make before free agency rolls around in March.

The NFL salary cap has been projected to be between $174 million and $178 million, according to NFL Media. The official number will not be known until the start of the new business year in March.

Last season’s salary cap was at $167 million. The Falcons are in the bottom third of the league and are projected to have $18 million in salary-cap space.

The 49ers, Browns, Jets and Colts are projected to have more than $80 million in salary-cap space and could drive up the market for players the Falcons want to retain.

The Falcons must decide if they want to re-sign defensive tackle Dontari Poe, defensive end Adrian Clayborn and kicker Matt Bryant.

Poe played last season on a incentive-laden contract, which had a base salary of $8 million. He bet on himself and had a solid season.

He played 868 defensive snaps, the second highest on the team behind Grady Jarrett’s 870. He also played eight snaps on offense.

Poe was the seventh-highest paid defensive tackle in the league. Miami’s Ndamukong Suh is slated to be the highest defensive tackle in the league at $16.9 million next season.

Clayborn led the team in sacks with 10½. He played 576 snaps, the third highest total along the defensive line.

He had the 21st highest base salary of defensive ends in the league. Brooks Reed was 17th with a base salary of $4.1 million.

Bryant will turn 43 on May 29 but showed no signs of slowing. Quite frankly, he was the Falcons’ key offensive weapon and was the reason they reached the playoffs and won a game on the road as he made nine field goals over that two-game stretch.

Bryant was the 11th highest-paid kicker in the league last season at $1.45 million. Carolina’s Graham Gano and Dallas’ Dan Bailey were the top paid kickers at $3.2 million last season.

In addition to the big three, fullback Derrick Coleman and Ben Garland, who finished the season at the starting left guard, are set to become free agents.

Garland’s situation will be tied to the decision on whether to bring back starting left guard Andy Levitre, who’s set to make $7 million in 2018. He suffered a torn triceps and missed three full games and played just five snaps in one game.

Other projected unrestricted free agents, include wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, linebacker Kemal Ishmael, returner Andre Roberts, defensive tackle Courtney Upshaw, defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin, offensive tackle Austin Pasztor, cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, cornerback Leon McFadden, linebacker Jordan Tripp and wide receiver Nick Williams.

2018 opponents: The Falcons opponents for the 2018 seasons were set back in December when they were locked into the third-place in the NFC South.

In addition to Carolina and New Orleans (twice), the Falcons will play only two other playoff teams in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The Falcons will face the third-place teams from the NFC West (Arizona) and NFC North (Green Bay).

The Falcons also will face opponents from the NFC East (Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington and New York Giants) and AFC North (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati).

In addition to road games against New Orleans, Carolina and Tampa Bay, the Falcons will play potentially cold-weather road games at Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Green Bay and Washington.

In addition to home games against New Orleans, Carolina and Tampa Bay, the home games will include Cincinnati, Arizona, Dallas, Giants and Baltimore.

As part of the deal for the Super Bowl to come to Mercedes-Benz Stadium next February, the Falcons will play a future game in London.

Philly wins TV rating: Philadelphia also topped Atlanta in the TV ratings for the game.

NBC’s telecast drew a 37.8 Nielsen rating in the Philadelphia TV market, compared to 29.3 in Atlanta.

The rating is the percentage of the market’s households that watched the game on average.

The Philadelphia and Atlanta markets had the two highest ratings for the game. Not far behind Atlanta was the New Orleans market, which posted a 28.7 rating.

Nationally, across the nation’s 56 metered markets, the Eagles’ 15-10 victory over the Falcons averaged a 17.4 rating (not including digital).

The 29.3 rating in Atlanta was about the same as for the previous week’s Falcons-Rams playoff game, which had a 29.0 rating here.