Falcons Report: Tyeler Davison’s contract re-worked to clear $2 million in cap space
While the assumption was that Tyeler Davison was going to be released by the Falcons, it looks like Terry Fontenot has come to an agreement with a former player on a reduced salary for 2021.
I think this is the best-case scenario for both sides. The Falcons still need depth on their defensive front and enough bodies overall to fill out the roster, and Davison may not find another suitor in a deep free-agent class. While he will still be under contract for 2022, if the figures remain the same, Davison can be cut for only $1.2 million in dead money while saving the organization $3.8 million. But if his dead cap hit matches the report, and he can be cut for only $500k guaranteed, the Falcons will likely move on from him next offseason unless he plays very well in Dean Pees’ defense.
This is a win-win for both sides, and attention will now turn to Dante Fowler Jr, as he could be next in line to take a reduced salary going into 2021. Hopefully, this flurry of cap space creation after Matt Ryan was restructured will give Atlanta some incentive to spend when the new league year opens tomorrow at 4 PM.
The Falcons should inquire about recently released Raiders’ center Rodney Hudson
The Falcons have been silent this offseason, not signing a single free agent from a different team. Matt Gono is the only transaction Terry Fontenot has made, which was only a restricted free agent tender. However, the Falcons did clear up some cap space today by restructuring Matt Ryan’s contract, and there is a new name on the market that should intrigue Terry Fontenot. According to Ian Rapoport, the Las Vegas Raiders are releasing former Pro Bowl center, Rodney Hudson.
Signing Hudson would effectively make Matt Hennessey a backup because he was ineffective in limited snaps at guard a season ago. Hudson signed a three-year extension with the Raiders just before the 2019 season, which made him the league’s highest-paid center and put him under contract through 2023. This is extremely surprising as many around the Las Vegas locker room praised the former Florida State Seminole. Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson even recently called him a valuable piece of the Raiders’ offense.
Hudson is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro in 2019. But beyond that, this move doesn’t even help the Raiders’ cap situation — taking on a bigger dead cap hit than keeping him. Las Vegas may designate Hudson a post-June 1 release, in which case half of his dead cap hit will move to their 2022 cap. But still, the cut is shocking nonetheless.
Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden have now parted ways with four of their five offensive line starters from a season ago — Hudson joins Richie Incognito, Gabe Jackson, and Trent Brown.
Fontenot could work around this year’s compensation for someone like Hudson by backloading a multi-year contract. According to PFF, he only surrendered one sack and committed one penalty in over 1,000 snaps in 2020. He’s valuable in both pass sets and run blocking and also capable of becoming a vocal leader on an offensive line that needs one. Matt Hennessey could blossom into an average starter, but Fontenot didn’t draft him, so he has no allegiances to the former Temple Owl. With someone as consistent as Rodney Hudson on the open market, the Falcons will surely do their due diligence.
