The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons put focus on building 2018/19 team
The AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter sits down with Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff to discuss the team’s offseason plans.
After the Falcons’ end-of-season news conference last week, general manager Thomas Dimitroff discussed the team’s offseason plan with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Q. With the Senior Bowl coming up and then free agency, what are the Falcons’ offseason plans other than extending Matt Ryan’s contract?
A. Our focus … is that we are spending time on our … end-of-season evaluations. That’s a big thing for this organization. We are a big believer in making sure that we think out every position on the roster, as well as every player on the roster at all levels. From the coaching assessments, the scouting evaluations to the athletic performance side of things as well as where we are from a player engagement standpoint.
We look at our entire roster in a complete circle and not just how they played on the field and that’s important.
That’s our start and then we start juxtaposing what we have on our team and what maybe is out there in free agency and what may be out there potentially in the draft.
Free agency, we know a little bit more about it because we know who is available at least at this point. (We are) so far out from the draft right now, but it’s just a matter of time.
Q. What does that early peek at the draft look like?
A. Our scouts … have been spending a lot of time evaluating the bowl games. Now, they are in the process of going to the all-star games. They just finished the East-West evaluations this week. They will be going to the
Senior Bowl and then we’ll come in February and really focus on the position crosscheck meetings. Each scout is responsible for a position to cross-check across the country and that is a very, very important time for us. Of course, it’s important for the fall meetings in December, but in the cross-check meetings we really start honing in our stacking the positions.”
Q. How important has it been to make sure you all heavily scout Georgia and Georgia Tech and the SEC players?
A. Of course, there are athletes all over the country. We are aware of who is thriving whether if it’s out on the West Coast or in the Midwest or where ever it is. That said, we have a hotbed of talent down here in the Southeast. There are some very good athletes down here with a lot of speed and a lot of athleticism that play right into our style of defense and quite honestly our style of offense. We definitely are focused in on getting the type of players that fit into Dan (Quinn’s) system both offensively and defensively and the element of athleticism, speed and urgency to our game is something that we feel that are a lot of opportunities to tap into that in the Southeast.
Not only on the top-echelon players, but also on some of the guys who’ll be college free agents. Both Georgia and Georgia Tech offer us many opportunities as well as many other schools here in the Southeast.
Q. What’s the plan for free agency for Dontari Poe, Adrian Clayborn? The Falcons normally do in-season extensions in order to keep their players from becoming unrestricted free agents.
A. Not necessarily, for us, we are in the process of truly evaluating where we are across the entire defense. Again, when you are looking at signing a quarterback, you have to make sure that you have the flexibility to do other positions. We are truly spending a lot of time looking at where we are along the defensive front and how it compares to where we might be with Matt (Ryan) and a couple of other guys that we are looking to re-sign.
Q. What’s the plan for kicker Matt Bryant, who apparently doesn’t plan to retire, according to a tweet from his wife?
A. Matt had a very good season for us this year. We continue to be very proud of how he continues to kick into his age . ... He’s done a very nice job and we will definitely continue to talk to him about next season.