Falcons to cut Dunta Robinson, Michael Turner, John Abraham

AP

Three longtime veterans are on the way out in Atlanta.

The Falcons are releasing cornerback Dunta Robinson, running back Michael Turner and defensive end John Abraham today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Although it’s a little jarring to see three well-known players all being put on the scrap heap, none of these cuts is a major shock. With the new league year looming, this is the season for expensive, aging players to be dumped as teams focus on building with younger and/or cheaper players.

Still, the Falcons now have some holes on the roster as they attempt to build what they hope will be a Super Bowl contender. Robinson was a starting cornerback, Turner led the team in rushing and Abraham led the team in sacks. Now they’re all gone.

59 responses to “Falcons to cut Dunta Robinson, Michael Turner, John Abraham

  1. I wonder if the Redskins will have their “midnight” FA signings since they sold their draft picks for RGIII….tough cuts for Atlanta!

  2. Dunta Robinson, even though he’s been hurt over the past couple years, is kind of surprising for an already weak secondary.

  3. The Panthers are great because once they start 2-8 you know they’ll actually win games (when they don’t matter), making it an easy bet.

  4. Not one of these players is of any value. All starters.
    Try doing something newsworthy. Like firing the idiot coach.

  5. John Abraham still has something in the tank. His age and maybe his cap hit justify him being cut but I swear I thought he would retire a Dirty Bird after all he’s done for that franchise.

  6. If he comes cheap, I wouldnt mind seeing Abraham come back to the NY Jets…where it all started. Would be a nice veteran who can still rush the passer

  7. stevenuc says:
    Mar 1, 2013 9:13 AM
    “I wonder if the Redskins will have their “midnight” FA signings since they sold their draft picks for RGIII….tough cuts for Atlanta”!

    They would if they could but they are in CAP hell for a change.

  8. So when the Steelers did it last year, it was a blood letting, but now it’s sensible and unsurprising for another team to do it? Insert eye-rolling emoticon here.

  9. Great move by Falcons…these guys aren’t game changers and they aren’t worth the salaries they make and Falcons need the cap relief…Get these “Bums” out of here!

  10. Now who will cheap shot opposing receivers over the middle with Dunta being gone.

  11. I don’t think John Abraham is going to have any trouble finding a new team, he’s a productive veteran and has a lot of value.

  12. Dunta aint that bad. Hes ok. Turner is a fat slob. Abrham has atleast one good year left.

  13. nirvana504 says:
    Mar 1, 2013 9:39 AM
    Panthers, lol…thanks for the laugh

    ==========

    I thought the exact same thing. Only hear from them in the off season

  14. The Falcons now will be targeting Eddie Lacy in the draft. With Brent Grimes coming back from IR they get help in the secondary. Would not be surprised at all to see them pick up a free agent DE to take Abraham’s spot. Dwight Freeney would be an incredible pickup if they can get him.

  15. 2 Things how much cap does that free up? And I think they are gonna move to a 3-4. We have the guys. We need a NT that can eat up space and an OLB. Move Nicolas inside and move Babs and peters to your ends. I think that would actually be good. As long as we get a good NT

  16. Dunta Robinson, even though he’s been hurt over the past couple years, is kind of surprising for an already weak secondary.

    **********

    This is just wrong. Atlanta has a very strong secondary, and dunta has been extremely durable in recent years. He was just the weak link of our secondary and needed to go. Huge cap hit next year

  17. Panthers swept the saints and should have swept the falcons. To believe that they are irrelevant is sort of ignorant. Especially from Saint and falcon fans seeing as they are historically “turrible” franchises.

  18. This probably cleared a TON of cap room. They could have dumped Turner two years ago and would have been fine, Dunta is pretty good but is overpriced and not really a need if Grimes comes back healthy. Losing Abraham is huge though as he’s never really seemed to age and has been doing all their pass rushing ever since he got there. A lot of pressure on the front office to find one or two pass rushers.

  19. As soon as I saw this, I was thinking Abraham to NYG to replace Osi? But then I tried to remember the last time Abraham came up big in a big spot……….

  20. As a Falcons fan, I was not surprised at all by Turner being let go. He should’ve been let go a year ago (or two). I like Robinson and I personally will miss him, but it wasnt to much of a surprise. His contract is too much and the Falcons have Grimes (maybe), Asante, and McClain showed a lot of promise last year.

    The one I’m very surprised about is John Abraham. Sure he’s not as good as he once was, but he was the only rush the Falcons had. Bierman and others sometimes would get to the QB but not like John. I was in the mind frame that the Falcons were going to try once again to get a DE to help compliment John. Oh well.

    Falcons are going to be hurting in the pass rush game if they dont do something in FA AND the draft.

  21. Ironic that they are still trying to persuade the oldest guy on the team last year not to retire.

  22. “I thought the exact same thing. Only hear from them in the off season”

    That’s all Eagles fans heard from during off-season for the 2009-10 season. All over the internet, especially this one character on youtube, they were salivating at how badly they were going to destroy us in the season opener. That was a weird time for Philadelphia seeing as the most we knew about them was that they injured our QB and got away with it, nobody up north cares about the Panthers.

    The result that opener though? 38-10 and McNabb injured on a late hit again.

  23. Wow. No effort to restructure with Abraham whatsoever? Just an outright release? Does anybody know if that is the case?

    Talk about an ideal FA period for New England. I’m 100% positive that more than any other edge setting DE over 30, Belichick takes the longest look at Abraham. It’s an utterly perfect fit for the Patriots. The rich will get richer, Abraham will more likely be in New England than anywhere else in a matter of weeks.

  24. @mrstinkypants

    They might Target a rb but if I were an Atlanta fan, I would want Gio Bernard out of UNC over Lacy. Bernard can do everything and is a more versatile back then Lacy. He can catch, he is a monster runner, and a beast at returning kicks/punts. He dominated ACC opponents when everyone knew he was getting the ball everytime. He will be the top back next year, when all the numbers are put together. And I’m from NC, and to think the Panthers even have a chance to win the division is laughable, they might want to watch out for the Bucs putting them back in the basement.

  25. The Panthers? Yeah sure. Anyways I’m sure they are very happy to no longer be on the roster of this group of underachieving FalCants.

  26. mhs8031 says:
    Mar 1, 2013 9:12 AM
    Move over, Dirty Birds and Saints. The Panthers are ready to take over the South

    I hate the falcons but a lest I respect them as a Saints fan. But, the Panthers are not even in the consideration when I think about the division next year. Your Panthers will be lucky to get to 500 next year. And, if you think otherwise you’re kidding yourself. We’ll be fighting it out with the dirty birds again for the divison title and the Panthers will be looking for a new coach by the end of the year.

  27. This is just wrong. Atlanta has a very strong secondary, and dunta has been extremely durable in recent years. He was just the weak link of our secondary and needed to go. Huge cap hit next year

    ____________________

    Strong? Russel Wilson threw for 385 yards in a playoff game against the “strong” secondary that also ranked 23rd in the league versus the pass in the regular season. Oh yeah, that’s definitely very strong.

    As for Robinson, I never said he missed time, I said he was hurt. Hasn’t he had concussions in back to back seasons now?

  28. At roddytorock84

    You hit the nail on the head. They are going to a 3-4 and they are looking for a good NT. If you watched them last year after they cut Edwards they were running a hybrid 3-4. Hate to see Abraham go but Bierman slids to the rush LB spot. This makes sense.
    GO Birds!

  29. mhs8031 says:
    Mar 1, 2013 9:12 AM
    Move over, Dirty Birds and Saints. The Panthers are ready to take over the South.
    _____
    When you can post a season record above .500 talk to me.

  30. All of these guys still have something left in the tank. But Dimitroff comes from the Patriots and he knows when to let veterans go.

    John Abraham and Dunta Robinson should play somewhere in the league next season, though. The only problem is that Abraham ONLY rushes the quarterback. That means you can always key your runs to his side. And Dunta wants to be known as a hard-hitter. That means you if you can take a punch, you can catch on him. But both can make an immediate impact on a roster.

    But Turner? Man! I fell for him, but the RB position is for youngsters in today’s NFL.

  31. @scubasteve4930 yes they were swept by the bucs. My point every franchise in the damn division is historically terrible. What room does any fan of

  32. We had the same record as the Bucs and saints. I don’t see why we can’t win the division, especially showing in our two matches with the falcons that we are better than them.

    We just have to start finishing games when they’re close.

  33. stevenuc says: Mar 1, 2013 9:13 AM

    I wonder if the Redskins will have their “midnight” FA signings since they sold their draft picks for RGIII….tough cuts for Atlanta!
    _________
    I wonder if Roger Goodell and John Mara will have a midnight snack of lobster and caviar while laughing about how the Redskins and Cowboys can’t sign anyone this year because they dumped 15 million and 4 million more dollars in salary, respectively, than the Giants did during the uncapped year.

    More importantly, why would the Redskins, or anybody, pull a “midnight signing” on free agents above age 30?

  34. Some big names there. Clearly Turner is not what he once was so can’t blame the Falcons. Abraham is on the backside of his career for sure but still looks like he can play to me.

    With Dallas going to a 4-3 defense and not likely to resign Anthony Spencer, maybe they should try to squeeze another year or two out of Abraham as a DE.

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