- The Falcons announced that they have signed defensive end Nordly Capi and guard Michael Huey, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Atlanta also waived defensive end Josh Dawson. Huey, who spent time with an Diego and Green Bay last season, played for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and was a three-time AFL champ.
- The Falcons overhauled their linebacker group this offseason through the use of two high draft picks, signing three free agents, and moving 2015 first-round choice Vic Beasley to linebacker. Now, the Falcons are experimenting with when and how to use their new-look linebacker core, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
- The Falcons do plan to move former eighth overall pick Vic Beasley to linebacker, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll stop rushing the passer, as Atlanta linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich explains to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “The emphasis with Vic will still be pass rush,” Ulbrich said. “The emphasis will still be his nickel end stuff, will still be playing Sam as a blitzer. The majority of his meeting time will be devoted to that. The majority of his individual work pre-practice will be devoted to that. The majority of his practice reps will be devoted to that. And on Sundays, the majority of his reps will be devoted to that.”
- Running back Terron Ward made the Falcons as an undrafted free agent last season, but he’ll have to beat Gus Johnson and Brandon Wills to retain his roster spot this season, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Ward managed only 29 carries behind Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in 2015, but he did play on roughly 22% of Atlants’s special teams snaps.
After recent visits with the Bengals and Falcons, Dwight Freeney is still without an NFL team. According to the defensive end, however, he did not expect to leave either trip with a contract in hand (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio). The 36-year-old also said that his next contract will probably be his “last stop.” Freeney is presumably looking to sign a one-year deal, so it sounds like this coming season will mark his farewell tour – that is, if he can find an NFL home. 
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In Freeney’s estimation, the odds of him playing in 2016 “are at 95%” (link). He says that he had “good” visits (link) with both the Falcons and Bengals, which would imply that the door is being left open by both clubs. Yesterday, Falcons coach Dan Quinn told reporters that the team has not ruled out signing Freeney. As for the Bengals, we have not heard much on that front since the veteran took a physical with them on May 25th.
During the interview, Freeney also discussed his time with the Cardinals in 2015 (link) and expressed hope that an offer could still come his way from Arizona. The multiple-time Pro Bowler says that he would love to help mentor offseason acquisition Chandler Jones and the team’s other young players in the front seven. After racking up eight sacks for Arizona last year, one has to imagine that the Cardinals are at least open to the idea of a reunion.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Falcons are not signing Dwight Freeney today, coach Dan Quinn told reporters (including Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). However, a signing has not been ruled out for down the road. 
[RELATED: Click Here To Vote On Where You Think Dwight Freeney Will Sign]
Freeney, 36, visited with the Falcons today. Strictly a pass-rushing specialist at this stage of his career, Freeney has not found a ripe market for his services despite coming off of a surprisingly strong season. Freeney didn’t hook on with the Cardinals until midway through the 2015 campaign, but he made up for lost time by racking up 8 sacks in 11 games. In 2015, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Freeney as (tied) for the 51st best edge rusher in the NFL out of 110 qualified players.
The Falcons are not necessarily hard up for edge rushers, but Freeney could be a fit for Dan Quinn‘s aggressive defensive scheme. The Falcons are currently slated to start Vic Beasley and Derrick Shelby at defensive end with support from Adrian Clayborn and Tyson Jackson. Recently, former NFL head coach and current analyst Mike Nolan opined that the Falcons should sign Freeney to improve their quarterback pressure. Last season, the Falcons finished with a league-worst 19 sacks.
Last month, Freeney also visited the Bengals, but it is not clear if talks are still active between the two sides.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
JUNE 1st, 8:49am: Freeney’s visit to the Falcons is today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
MAY 25th, 3:40pm: The Falcons confirmed that Freeney will be visiting with them next week.
1:47pm: Dwight Freeney will likely visit the Falcons next week, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter (Twitter/Vine link). Freeney visited the Bengals today and took a physical with the team, but it does not sound like the two sides have struck an accord. 
Freeney, 36, is rated as Pro Football Rumors’ fourth-best defensive free agent still on the board. Despite his age, Freeney was remarkably effective in his 11-game campaign last year. The Cardinals inked Freeney to a veteran’s minimum deal midway through the season and they were rewarded with eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Freeney may not be the elite player that he once was, but he has proven that he is still a force to be reckoned with on passing downs.
The Falcons are not necessarily hard up for edge rushers, but Freeney could be a fit for Dan Quinn‘s aggressive defensive scheme. The Falcons are currently slated to start Vic Beasley and Derrick Shelby at defensive end with support from Adrian Clayborn and Tyson Jackson.
In 2015, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Freeney as (tied) for the 51st best edge rusher in the NFL out of 110 qualified players. In total, Freeney saw 276 pass snaps and just 41 run snaps last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- Former NFL head coach and current analyst Mike Nolan says the Falcons should sign Dwight Freeney to improve their pass rush, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. “Look, they are in dire need in Atlanta. If they screw up again this year, there will probably be huge change. They’ve got to do whatever they’ve got to do. In my opinion, they shouldn’t care who they bring on, because they’ve got to save their asses. If that’s the case, then bring Freeney on,” Nolan said. “If this was the New England Patriots, they’re not going to bring (Freeney) in. This would be a desperation move for Atlanta, but they’re in a desperate situation.” The 36-year-old Freeney visited Atlanta last week. This offseason, the Falcons added veteran Derrick Shelby and they’re expecting a big season from second-year linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., but they didn’t do much to improve their pass rush overall.
- The Falcons announced that they have waived offensive lineman Cody Elenz. Elenz was signed as a college free agent following the draft. Even after cutting Elenz, Atlanta has 15 offensive linemen on their 88-man roster.
The Falcons are not signing Brandon Boykin at this time, according to a league source who spoke with Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The free-agent cornerback worked out for the team on Monday. 
Boykin was released by the Panthers back on May 16th. Prior to his signing, the 25-year-old was one of the more intriguing cornerbacks to linger on the free agent market in late March. Still, Carolina opted to bail on the low-guarantee, one-year deal. Even though the Panthers parted ways with Josh Norman this spring, they felt that they were already set at cornerback after adding three in the draft.
The Falcons (and three other teams) reportedly had interest in the slot corner before he signed with the Panthers in late March. Boykin, a Georgia native who played for the Bulldogs in college, seemed like a logical fit for Dan Quinn‘s defense.
Despite not seeing significant playing time in Pittsburgh, Boykin ranked as a top-40 cornerback in 2015 (out of 111 qualified players), per Pro Football Focus. The diminutive corner has always shown flashes of upside, particularly in his six-interception 2013 campaign, but has never really gotten the opportunity to be a full-time player with just seven career starts. He’ll now look elsewhere for his chance to shine.
While Boykin didn’t earn a spot on PFR’s top 50 free agent list, we placed him sixth among free agent cornerbacks when we broke down 2016’s top defensive free agents, placing him ahead of veterans like Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson due to his relative youth and upside.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins told reporters that he “made a mistake” which led to his four-game suspension for PEDs (Twitter link via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). However, he did not indicate whether he will file an appeal. Atlanta had hoped the Collins would be able to become a starter on the outside, allowing fellow corner Robert Alford to move into the slot full-time. That transition can still happen, of course, but now the club will have to make do without Collins for a quarter of the season — a realization which may have precipitated today’s workout of nickel corner Brandon Boykin.