Falcons coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who were recently told they would be returning for next season, acknowledged Monday that there was a lot of work to do on the roster.
The first order of business was to lock up five practice-squad players with reserve/future deals. Now, they have to address the prospective list of unrestricted and restricted free agents, which includes Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper.
“We’re in the process of doing that right now, talking about it, how we put things together,” Dimitroff said when asked about Hooper’s status. “We haven’t made any solid decisions at this point. Of course, I would also mention he was our focus in the offseason.”
Hooper noted that he hadn’t received an offer from the team yet.
“The way the season goes and the way that the — not only the season from a record standpoint but how our players play, that’s a big part of putting it all together,” Dimitroff said. “Once we get to the other side of this week, we’ll continue to look at this, and we’ll make some good decisions, and it depends on what those decisions are across the roster.”
Here’s a list of potential Falcons free agents:
Unrestricted free agents – Defensive end/linebacker Vic Beasley, defensive tackle Jack Crawford, punter Matt Bosher, defensive end Adrian Clayborn, quarterback Matt Schaub (club option), wide receiver Justin Hardy, cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, safety/linebacker Kemal Ishmael, defensive tackle Tyeler Davison, safety J.J. Wilcox, defensive end Steven Means, running back Kenjon Barner, fullback Keith Smith, safety John Cyprien, punter Ryan Allen, cornerback Jamar Taylor, tight end Austin Hooper, defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman, linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, offensive lineman John Wetzel, safety Sharrod Neasman, quarterback Matt Simms and offensive guard/center Wes Schweitzer.
Restricted free agents – Defensive tackle Michael Bennett, kicker Younghoe Koo and running back Brian Hill.
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