Atlanta Falcons urged to consider cutting ties with Vic Beasley

The Atlanta Falcons just finished one of their more disappointing seasons in recent memory. A season many felt could be a Super Bowl year.

The stars certainly seemed to align. They scored another top playmaker for their offense in the draft in Calvin Ridley. Everything on defense appeared to look strong on paper. Even the Super Bowl itself was being played in Atlanta. All they had to do was continue to play with the gritty mentality they’d held since the end of 2017 and they could make through a tough NFC.

In the end, everything fell apart. The biggest reason was a collapse on defense. Part of it was out of their control as the unit suffered a rash of brutal injuries to key players. However, it also had a lot to do with certain high profile names not elevating their game as expected. None have garnered more frustration from fans and media alike than Vic Beasley.

It looked like the former 1st round pick was destined for stardom after he stacked up 15.5 sacks in 2016, helping the team reach the Super Bowl. They never could’ve expected him to manage just 10 since then, a regression that has some wondering if his “breakout” year was an anomaly. This has put his security on the roster in serious question for 2019.

Beasley should either take a team-friendly extension or be cut loose

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Bill Barnwell of ESPN explained it as his belief the Falcons should seriously consider parting ways with pass rusher. As things stand he’s going to be making a lot of money in 2019 with the expectation he should get more in the seasons to come befitting his draft status and prior production. The problem is most of that production argument came three seasons ago.

"“It’s too early to give up on Beasley rounding into form, but his $12.8 million cap hit for 2019 is untenable. In a draft in which there is oodles of defensive line talent, it’s difficult to believe that Beasley would get something approaching $13 million per season in free agency, even given that he’s two seasons removed from a sack crown. As Beasley turns 27 in July, he’s also older than just about every other defender from his 2015 draft class. He’s seven months older than Jadeveon Clowney, who was taken with the first pick a year earlier.”"

Atlanta can afford to hang onto him for one more year if they wish, but unloading his deal now would net them even more money and a decent draft choice if they were able to trade him. Then they could attack what should be a strong draft in terms of pass rushers to fill his spot while using the money to bolster the defense in other ways. Perhaps adding help at cornerback.

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