Five moves all 16 NFC teams should make this offseason

[HMFFL]

Atlanta Falcons

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/BarnwellxFiveNFCMoves2018/five-moves-nfc-team-make-2018-nfl-offseason-trades-free-agency-cuts-bill-barnwell

1. Pick up Vic Beasley Jr.'s fifth-year option. The 2015 first-rounder saw his production drop off dramatically this season, thanks to a combination of injuries, regression toward the mean and an increase in coverage duties at outside linebacker. The positional concerns are perhaps overblown -- Beasley was technically moved to outside linebacker before his breakout 2016 season campaign and still got plenty of sacks as an edge rusher in Atlanta's sub packages -- but the Falcons seem dedicated to using Beasley exclusively as a defensive end in 2018. General manager Thomas Dimitroff can pick up Beasley's fifth-year option for 2019 and evaluate the former first-rounder in what should be his best role before deciding whether to make a serious long-term commitment.

2. Get Matt Ryan's extension done. The Falcons elected to wait until 2018 before handing the 2016 league MVP a new deal, which probably will end up costing them a pretty penny. This time last year, the going rate for a top-tier quarterback was less than $100 million over the first four years of a new deal. Then Matthew Stafford hit $108.5 million, and Jimmy Garoppolo raised the bar. As Ryan enters the final year of his extension, the Falcons are going to be shelling out $110 million over the first four seasons of his new deal, if not more.
Matt Ryan didn't have an MVP season in 2017, but he's still a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

3. And then extend Jake Matthews. I'm not sure Matthews has really ever turned into a top-tier left tackle, and the two penalties he took during Super Bowl LI are going to haunt Falcons fans for a long time. But Matthews is a durable, solid left tackle in a league in which coaches are reduced to tears by the state of offensive line play. (If only there was something they could do about it!) It wouldn't be a surprise to see the 26-year-old sign a five-year, $70 million extension.

4 ... then try to extend Grady Jarrett. There's a lot of work to be done keeping this team's core around! Jarrett had his breakout game against the Patriots during last year's Super Bowl, and while he racked up only four sacks and 13 quarterback knockdowns this season, he's more likely to contribute to this team's future success than fellow free agent Adrian Clayborn.

Jarrett's new deal could approach $10 million per year, which could force the Falcons to make tough decisions elsewhere. It's difficult to imagine the Falcons bringing back Tevin Coleman, having extended Devonta Freeman and with contracts for players such as Jarrett and Deion Jones coming up over the next two offseasons. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Falcons cut tight end Levine Toilolo, given that the blocking tight end has a cap hit of $4.5 million this year. Derrick Shelby started for most of the season but played only 374 defensive snaps; he might be a cap casualty at $5.8 million.

5. Draft more help at defensive tackle. Jarrett might be the only interior defensive lineman of note on the roster heading into 2018, given that Dontari Poe and Ahtyba Rubin are both free agents and Jack Crawford will split time between defensive end and defensive tackle. Atlanta might sign a rotation free agent if the price is right, as was the case with Poe, but the biggest spot of weakness for a defense that ranked 22nd in defensive DVOA is up front.