I will be doing a series of articles that will be taking a methodical team by team approach to next year’s possible free agents. I will be starting with the team that has the least amount of salary cap space and ending with the team with the most. I will try to give a brief description of as many of the possible free agents as I can. I will also be looking for players that might be salary cap cuts in order for their teams to make room to sign some of these possible free agents. Any information anyone else can contribute on these players would be very much appreciated.
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The San Francisco 49ers will have a whole ton of money for 2017 NFL free agency. Head there to check out our breakdowns of all 31 other teams’ free agents and cap space.
The Atlanta Falcons projected to be $33,493,422 UNDER the cap (all salary info via Over The Cap) for 2017 and with only 38 players under contract. This group of free agents was so boring that I finally gave up and put a picture of one of their cheerleaders on the cover. Fortunately, we have the Cardinals tomorrow.
(EastBayNinerFan has the combined total of the salary cap surplus carry over from 2016 and the cap space for 2017 as $36,486,777)
Dollar figures listed are player’s 2016 cap hit.
43DT Jonathan Babineaux - $2,666,669
Jonathan Babineaux is 35 years old and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2005 draft. Babineaux has 19 tackles this year. Not bad for being 35 years old.
ILB Paul Warrilow - $2,553,000
Paul Warrilow is 26 years old and was picked up by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Warrilow has not been playing a lot of snaps this season and has only 12 tackles. On the other hand, his PFF ratings are way up from 2014 when he had 142 tackles. He might be a good backup.
RG Chris Chester - $2,600,000
Chris Chester is 33 years old and was originally drafted by the Ravens in the 2006 draft. Chester was picked up by the Falcons in May of 2015 after being released by Washington. His PFF scores are down this year after being pretty respectable in previous years. Maybe age is catching up with him?
43DE Dwight Freeney - $2,921,875
Dwight Freeney is 36 years old and was originally drafted by the Colts in the first round of the 2002 draft. Freeney signed a one year deal with the Falcons in August. He has 10 tackles and three sacks this year.
QB Matt Schaub - $1,750,000
Matt Schaub is 35 years old and was originally drafted by the Falcons in the third round of the 2004 draft. He is back with the Falcons after spending eight years with the Texans and one with the Raiders. He has a 64 percent career completion percentage and a career quarterback rating of 89.1.
TE Jacob Tamme - $2,584,375
Jacob Tamme is 31 years old and was originally drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. Tamme was signed by the Falcons in March of 2015 and had 59 receptions for 657 yards that year. He had 22 receptions for 210 yards through eight games this season before going on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
43OLB Sean Weatherspoon - $1,468,750
Sean Weatherspoon is 28 years old and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2010 draft. Weatherspoon has 27 tackles this season. His best season was way back in 2011 when he had 115 tackles and four sacks.
FB Patrick DiMarco - $897,500
Patrick Dimarco is 27 years old and was originally picked up by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent 2011. DiMarco was signed by the Falcons in 2013 after being released by the Chiefs. He has 36 receptions in 5 years and no yards rushing.
43DT Courtney Upshaw - $1,400,000
Courtney Upshaw is 27 years old and was originally drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2012 draft. Upshaw signed a one year contract with the Falcons in March. Upshaw has 19 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one pass defended, and one forced fumble this season.
WR Eric Weems - $1,147,500
Eric Weems is 31 years old and was originally picked up by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Weems was once again signed by the Falcons in August of 2014 after being released by the Bears. Weems has 11 receptions in the last three years.
43OLB Philip Wheeler - $680,000
Philip Wheeler is 32 years old and was originally drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2008 draft. Wheeler was signed by the Falcons in October of 2015 after being released by the 49ers a month earlier. He has 26 tackles this season.
CB Robert Alford - $1,082,263
Robert Alford is 28 years old and was drafted by the Falcons in the second round of the 2013 draft. Alford has 55 tackles, 16 passes defended, and two interceptions this season. PFF has him rated pretty average against the pass and poor against the run.
RT Tom Compton - $625,000
Tom Compton is 27 years old and was originally drafted by Washington in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. Compton signed with the Falcons in March of this year. He is a below average backup tackle.
WR Aldrick Robinson - $675,000
Aldrick Robinson is 28 years old and was originally drafted by Washington in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. The Falcons signed Robinson in March of this year after he was released the previous August by the Ravens. He has 17 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns this season.
ILB LaRoy Reynolds - $675,000
LaRoy Reynolds is 26 years old and was originally picked up by the Jags as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He signed with the Falcons in March. He is having his best season with 29 tackles.
TE Levine Toilolo - $1,746,146
Levine Toilolo is 25 years old and was drafted by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. Toilolo has 11 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns this season. He has 60 receptions for 573 yards and 6 touchdowns over his four-year NFL career.