A classic point guard quarterback like Kirk Cousins was already going to make sweet music with the Falcons’ offense. It doesn’t get much better than an offensive core featuring Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Tyler Allgeier. Any quarterback would be envious of that supporting cast. Now throw Mooney into the mix, an underrated deep threat who has the versatility to play from the slot and on the outside. Phew. I’d comfortably take the over on any offensive projections for the Falcons’ offense this fall.

It’s been a while since Mooney was notably productive. A Chicago Bears offense that was stuck in the mud saw Mooney fail to reach 500 receiving yards in each of the last two years. But at his best — namely, a 1,000-plus-yard campaign in 2021 — Mooney has shown an explosive potential that will add another thrilling and much-needed dynamic to Atlanta’s attack. Plus, a full-read passer like Cousins will ensure that Mooney sees the ball enough to make his presence known.

I’m not entirely positive how any defense will reasonably slow down this high-flying Atlanta offense.

Alright, deep breaths.

First, the Bears set the trade price for Justin Fields way too high, watched everyone who would be a suitor understandably say “no thanks,” and then tried to save face on the failure by saying negotiations didn’t go far because they’re only 99 percent sure that Caleb Williams is their quarterback of the future.

Then, with an opportunity to address a variety of needs and set the table for the presumable new quarterback, the Bears spent Day 2 of free agency hunting in the bargain bin. Again. Who needs Danielle Hunter, an awesome No. 2 complement to Montez Sweat, when you can likely draft an edge rusher at No. 9 overall instead and pass on one of the best 1-2-3 punches of rookie receiver prospects in recent memory? D.J. Moore can do it all on his own, right? Oh, Gerald Everett will surely be what cures all. Huzzah!

Who needs a proven center who actually has experience playing center when you can have Ryan Bates, a converted guard who played 35 whole snaps last season and who the Buffalo Bills were more than happy to trade away?

(Note: The Bears literally did this with Fields when they signed away Lucas Patrick from the rival Green Bay Packers and converted him to someone who eventually became their full-time starter. They have seemingly learned nothing!)

I don’t know what the Bears’ plan is. And I’m not entirely sure they do, either. There was a real opportunity to give a rookie quarterback a fabulous opening roster from top to bottom. The kind of situation that would’ve ensured Chicago gets its first franchise quarterback in decades because he doesn’t have to do everything on his own from the jump. Maybe that still happens. A lot can happen in the draft.

But it seems like the opening chess moves of free agency were a massive wasted opportunity. Playing on the sidelines forever will only get you so far.

On Monday, after Jones accumulated nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 63 touchdowns during his Packers career, Green Bay unceremoniously cut the running back. Of course, the NFL is a business, and the Packers don’t owe Jones anything if they see fit. Nothing wrong transpired here. But Jones has the same prerogative to do what he wants, and he wasted no time apparently plotting his plan for revenge by signing with the division rival Minnesota Vikings.

It is practically a tradition at this point for ex-Packers players to sign with Minnesota. Yet the speed with which Jones used the Vikings as a lifeboat suggests he’s already telegraphed both upcoming regular-season games with his old team. Jones might not have much left in the tank, but he might be saving everything he has in reserve for when the Vikings and Packers meet this fall.

I can’t even hate. Pursuing good old-fashioned sports revenge must feel so satisfying.

At this stage of his Dallas Cowboys ownership, I’m not sure why anyone would take what Jerry Jones has to say seriously. The man kept Mike McCarthy after three consecutive dispiriting playoff losses with a loaded roster. He threw Dak Prescott — one of the best quarterbacks in football — under the bus for no good reason. It took him nearly three decades to finally mend his relationship with Jimmy Johnson (where he was clearly in the wrong).

With no due respect, the man simply does not know what he’s talking about. Most of the things that come out of his mouth are hot air. It’s just the truth.

And yet, Cowboys fans fell for Jones’ proclamation that Dallas would be “all in” on free agency anyway. Folks, eventually, you gotta take responsibility for taking the bait. The Cowboys barely had any salary cap space heading into free agency and are just still barely in the positive at the time of this writing. They were never going to make any meaningful moves or additions.

Jones was talking out of his you know what, and you can only blame yourself if you took it at face value.

The Texans followed up a promising opening day of free agency by landing one of the biggest fish available. Sack machine Danielle Hunter will now complement potential franchise edge rusher Will Anderson and form one of the more devastating pass-rush duos in the NFL. Azeez Al-Shair at linebacker and Denico Autry and Foley Fatukasi as quality rotational defensive ends are nothing to sneeze at, either.

This defensive overhaul is the kind that can propel a team to Super Bowl contender status. Full stop. Houston already has the promising CJ Stroud, someone who might already be one of the best quarterbacks in football. Their one and true glaring weakness — in a year they won the AFC South anyway — was a defense made of Swiss cheese. Call me crazy, but I don’t think DeMeco Ryans’ defense will be a joke for much longer.

Oh, and don’t discount the positive impact Joe Mixon can have while sharing an offensive backfield with Stroud.

Watch out, AFC. The Texans are coming.

Calvin Ridley’s strange situation aside, it seems NFL teams are not at all keen on paying veteran playmakers before a chance at what could be a historically excellent receiver draft class.

Odell Beckham Jr. remains unsigned. So do Tyler Boyd, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and Curtis Samuel. These are good, solid players! It’s kinda odd no one is meeting them in the middle! Not even a little bit! Darnell Mooney might be the headliner of this group, but the Falcons had money to throw around, and that doesn’t say great things about what the NFL thinks of some of the more established offensive playmakers in the league. It took a surprising pick swap of late-round selections for Diontae Johnson to go somewhere (Carolina) he was wanted.

I guess that’s what happens when Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Troy Franklin, and Ladd McConkey, among others, are all just waiting to be drafted in seven weeks. The veteran receivers above will eventually likely settle for less, but it’s so apparent this was an awful time to be a free-agent wideout.

The idea that Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry would ever play on the same team was something only fantasy football managers and Madden players were familiar with. Two of the most talented ever at their respective positions complementing one another perfectly? Pure fantasy. Absolute nonsense to even suggest as a rational football observer; an occurrence that would only come about alongside a cold day in hell.

Well, I suppose those flames can’t burn at maximum heat forever.

Jackson and Henry are now on the same Ravens team. Believe it because it is real. (Yes, you too, Marlon Humphrey.) Two generational talents will now spearhead an offense destined to once again dominate the league with brute force in the running game. It’s impossible to say that Henry will work out exactly how the Ravens want. He is, after all, a 30-year-old running back. His production could drop off a cliff at any moment. But I don’t think Baltimore plans to use him like a classic bell-cow back. And to this point, it’s not as his play has shown much of a noticeable decline, even as he ages.

What I’m trying to tell defenses is this: Pick your poison.

Let Jackson gash you off his classic QB power, or let Henry gut you up the middle. It’s a real Sophie’s choice for defenses that will tremendously benefit the team with the No. 1 overall seed last season.

Fun fact: Sam Howell nearly threw for 4,000 passing yards last season. He had five games with at least 300 passing yards. There was a time when you probably wouldn’t have been crazy to assert that the Commanders had found a potential franchise quarterback.

About that. While Howell showed occasional promise, he saw a 9.6 percent sack rate (a quarterback stat). Only names like Bryce Young (10.5 percent) and Fields (10.6 percent), two veritable disappointments last year, were worse. Howell also threw the ball 612 times, which led the NFL. It’s a failure that he couldn’t eclipse 4,000 yards with that many attempts.

It goes to show you how empty generic passing figures can be without any deeper introspection. And it’s also why the Commanders are already preparing for life without Howell.

Armed with the No. 2 overall pick in next month’s draft, it is a virtual certainty that Washington will leave with its quarterback of the future. To back him up and help bring him up, the Commanders signed the experienced Marcus Mariota, the surest signal that Washington has no design on Howell playing any major role with the Commanders moving forward.

I’m sure it was (kind of) fun while it lasted.

Wow. What an incredibly doctored photo of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the 2022 co-interceptions leader, in an Eagles uniform. (Holds hand to earpiece.) Wait a minute, that’s a real photo! No way.

All jokes aside, in a stunning collapse last season, it was the Eagles’ defense that particularly cratered. Philadelphia’s secondary was a sieve — a strength en route to the NFC title in 2022 — and was abused by any garden variety passer week after week. Prioritizing that side of the ball by getting the high upside Bryce Huff off the edge and running it back with old friend Gardner-Johnson was always going to be the most prudent plan for general manager Howie Roseman. This process is precisely how Philadelphia returns to prominence while focusing on rebuilding offensive and defensive schemes (hey, Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio!) that are more cogent and cohesive to its players.

The Eagles’ defensive floor suddenly seems solid and sturdy again, and they haven’t even hit the draft. That alone should inspire faith in a big rebound back to legitimate Super Bowl contention this September.