Falcons cut S Ricardo Allen, DE Allen Bailey

The Falcons made the first major personnel moves of the Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith era, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that they cut Ricardo Allen and Allen Bailey.

Both moves are part of a bigger cost cut that Atlanta must make to reach below the 2021 limit and start reorganizing the list, but it is somewhat surprising to see Allen as one of the first players to leave. The team will save about $ 11 million from the moves, but will have to take new security at the start and add to a defensive final group already exhausted from those cuts.

Allen was originally selected as Purdue’s cornerback in 2014, the last year of the Mike Smith era, and was mysteriously dismissed and placed on the training team in his debut season. With the arrival of Dan Quinn, Allen was transferred to safety and became a full-time holder, keeping his job despite personnel changes and injuries throughout the 2020 season. As the team’s safety net in high school, he built a reputation as a smart player who made critical moves when needed, especially during 2016 and 2017, when he was a critical piece of a pair of solid defenses.

One of the most respected men in the Falcons’ organization and a player who made it clear that he will one day become a coach, Allen is a difficult player to lose in the locker room. The move also makes it clear that the Falcons will rebuild the security position this off-season, as Allen was one of only two players (Jaylinn Hawkins is the other) hired there.

This is not a surprising cut in itself, because cutting Allen saves the Falcons more than $ 6 million and an entirely new defensive team will have different security priorities. I am upset to see him leave after having made a great career for Atlanta, but he shouldn’t be struggling to get work elsewhere.

Bailey joined the Falcons as a free agent in 2019 to help a typically unstable defensive line, but despite some fine stretches, he did not end up playing an important role for the team often, as players like Steven Means and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner cut his playing time. In the past two seasons, Bailey has managed 2.5 sacks, 11 pressures and 6 tackles to defeat in about 45% of defensive snaps. A team looking for a stable running defender will catch him this spring.

We still don’t know exactly what the limit will be in 2021, but it can be as low as $ 180 million. Falcons will make additional cuts and restructure businesses in the very near future to align with the final number, but they will likely go much further than that, given Terry Fontenot’s professional background and this team’s stated desire to meet needs for agency rather than draft. In other words, fasten your seat belts for much more news in this regard.

We wish both men the best and I sincerely hope that we will see Allen back as coach of this Falcons team in the future.