times by injury. Dan Quinn has recently started talking up Freeman’s potential return for the final few games of 2018 Kaleb McGary Jersey 2019 , with fans asking, “but why?”Falcons waved goodbye to their playoff hopes weeks ago, if not longer. Why bring back a veteran running back that you want fully healthy next season? Whether injury or common sense, the Falcons made the right decision.The Falcons found out how much they need a healthy Freeman this season. Atlanta has been near the bottom of the league in nearly every rushing metric. While Tevin Coleman is good for a big play every now and then, he’s far from a chain mover that can keep the pressure off of Matt Ryan.Freeman finishes the season 68 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards. He turns 27 in March and should be well served by starting healthy during the offseason. The team needs to either hope he stays healthy in 2019 or draft a potential backup. As expected, the Falcons are going to largely (but not completely) focus on the defense in the 2019 NFL Draft"The Falcons are actually getting close to drafting some players, which is a welcome oasis in an offseason that has been notable for two starting guard signings Kaleb McGary Atlanta Falcons Jersey , the complete teardown of the coordinators, and long stretches of silence. The question, as you’d expect, concerns who exactly those picks will be.We don’t know that just yet, but Dan Quinn was kind enough to recently confirm that the team is going to be looking hard at defense, as essentially all their offseason moves suggested they would. Defensive tackle is a legitimate need, though the Falcons really only need a capable rotational player unless they want to swing for the fences. Defensive end is a legitimate need this year even if Takk McKinley Cheap Kaleb McGary Jersey , Vic Beasley, and Steven Means play well, and it’s a potentially massive need in 2020 if Beasley and Means don’t return. And the defensive backfield needs cornerback and safety depth, as Quinn notes, but that would preferably come in the form of long-term reserves who could start in a pinch, given the injury picture there a year ago and a lack of long-term options at cornerback beyond Desmond Trufant, Isaiah Oliver Kaleb McGary Atlanta Falcons Jersey , and Damontae Kazee. None of these identified needs are particularly surprising, but it would be surprising if the team doesn’t use three or four of their first six selections to address them. Notably absent from this list? Right tackle, the position that Arthur Blank and others around the Falcons and analyzing the Falcons have identified as a major long-term position of need. I still think right tackle is in play for the Falcons with pick #14, but my genuine hope is that they’re willing to hit the defense early and heavy, even if it means a year or two of Ty Sambrailo starting at the position. Who might they get? The Falcons have been linked to prospects from all three position groups mentioned above that are expected to go in the first round (like Brian Burns, Ed Oliver, and Deandre Baker) and toolsy mid-to-late rounders who fit their draft profiles (like rangy Eastern Michigan pass rusher Maxx Crosby or physical Calvin Ridley Jersey 2019 , tall Houston cornerback Isaiah Johnson). The Falcons have been able to nail some of those mid-to-late round defensive picks in recent years, from Grady Jarrett to De’Vondre Campbell to Foye Oluokun, and chances are they’ll need to do so again to improve this roster.