The Falcons have traded 25-year old cornerback Chris Houston and the Falcons’ fifth round pick in 2010 to the Lions for the Lions’ 5th and 6th round picks in 2010.  Houston played in 12 games for the Falcons last season and he made 47 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he defensed 9 passes and had 1 interception.  Houston played in 44 games in his three years with the Falcons and he made 166 tackles, defensed 34 passes, forced 1 fumble and he had 3 interceptions (one he returned for a TD).  The Falcons must have really wanted to dump Houston because they didn’t get much for him.

The Falcons have acquired 27-year old CB Tye Hill from the Rams for a 7th round pick.  Hill played in 4 games for the Rams last season and he made 20 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  He played three years with the Rams appearing in 28 games in which he made 105 tackles, defensed 16 passes, forced 1 fumble and he had 4 interceptions.  This was a good trade for the Falcons as a 7th round pick usually isn’t worth too much in the NFL.  Hill should provide depth in the backfield for the Falcons in 2009.

The Falcons have acquired 33-year old TE Tony Gonzalez from the Chiefs for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Gonzalez played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last season and he caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards (11.0 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He has had over 1,000 yards receiving 4 times in his NFL career and he has caught 10+ TDs in a season three times.  Gonzalez has now played in 190 games in his NFL career and he has caught 916 passes for 10,940 yards (11.9 avg) with 76 TD grabs.  This move gives Matt Ryan a receiver in the short game that he can trust so look for the Falcons to have one of the highest scoring most efficient offenses in the NFL this season.

The Falcons have traded 23-year old WR Laurent Robinson to the Rams for the right to swap picks with the Rams in both the 5th and 6th round in this month’s NFL Draft.  Robinson played in only 6 games for the Falcons last season catching 5 passes for 52 yards (10.4 avg).  He has now played in 21 games in his 2-year NFL career and he has caught 42 passes for 489 yards (11.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This could turn out to be a good trade for both teams as the Rams were really hurting for a WR and the Falcons get to move up to the top of the 5th and 6th rounds later this month.

The Falcons have acquired 25-year old CB Domonique Foxworth from the Broncos for a undisclosed 2009 NFL Draft Pick.  Foxworth played in 14 games (6 starts) for the Broncos last season and he made 42 tackles and defensed 5 passes.  But, Foxworth is a talented back who should help out the Falcons secondary.  He has now played in 46 games (18 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 173 tackles, has defensed 24 passes and he has picked off 3 passes.