Nobody knows exactly when free agency will begin, as various reports are citing every date between Tuesday and Saturday. But here are a few notes to help prep us for when the Atlanta Falcons do begin looking to re-sign players and acquire new talent.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter reports the team won't make a move for either Ray Edwards or Charles Johnson, as NFL.com's Jason La Canfora reported a while back. Ledbetter has Edwards going to the Eagles and Johnson remaining with the Panthers, calling the Falcons decision on the former "a change of heart." That would mean Kroy Biermann would need to deliver the kind of year in 2011 that some had hoped for in 2010 -- though he produced more pressure on quarterbacks last year than he gets credit for.
Tyson Clabo is listed as offensive line priority No. 1, to no surprise. Justin Blalock could be the odd man out here, which runs contrary to a previous report by La Canfora, which had Blalock as the only OL to stay.
On defense, Ledbetter has Stephen Nicholas heading to play for the New York Giants. Following in the footsteps of Michael Boley, you could say. That would mean another year of Mike Peterson, with Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton joining him as starters.
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