Allen Bailey

The move saves the Falcons $4.5 million against the cap. He and DB Ricardo Allen were both obvious cap casualties with Atlanta entering the offseason 30th in cap space. Bailey, 34, will be settling for a backup job if he chooses to continue playing. He spent eight years with the Chiefs before playing his last two in Atlanta. The Falcons will be making a few more cuts before free agency.

Bailey gets a $3.25 million signing bonus up front, and the deal creates some 2020 cap space for the Falcons.  Bailey, 33 today, received plus marks from Pro Football Focus for both his run defense and pass-rush push on 511 defensive snaps last season.

Watching his former team of eight years go to the Super Bowl without him is painful enough in its own right, but Allen also endured one of his least productive seasons from an individual perspective during 2019. The 30-year-old defensive end collected a career-high six sacks and 10 QB hits while starting 13 games for Kansas City last season, but this year he managed a measly two QB hits and collected his fewest number of tackles since 2012 (minimum six games played). He is under contract with Atlanta for one more season at a cap hit of $5.9 million, making him the 12th-highest compensated player on the Falcons and 28th-highest paid player at his position.

Bailey missed Week 15's win over the 49ers, but he's all systems go moving forward. The veteran defensive end isn't a starter but still averages 37.5 defensive snaps per game, and he could be in line for additional work since Takkarist McKinley (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.