Very quietly, the Atlanta Falcons have started freeing up salary-cap space. Considering the Falcons already were a good bit under the cap, this could be a sign they’re gearing up for a big splurge in free agency.

There’s been talk about them pursuing Houston defensive end Mario Williams. Ironically, one guy who would directly benefit from Williams’ presence has restructured his contract to give the Falcons more cap room.

That’s cornerback Dunta Robinson. Earlier this week, he signed off on some tweaks to his contract that will save the Falcons $1.75 million in cap space this year. Robinson waived a $3 million option bonus that was about to come due and also agreed to lower his base salary for this year by $1 million.

But Robinson gets some benefits in return. His new $5 million base salary for this year has been fully guaranteed. The Falcons also increased Robinson’s 2013 base salary to $8 million from $7 million and his 2014 salary was raised from $9 million to $10 million. His base salary for 2015 was increased from $9.5 to $11.5 million.

There are potentially even bigger benefits for Robinson on the field if the Falcons add Williams or another strong pass rusher. Robinson played with Williams in Houston and he and the rest of Atlanta’s secondary would benefit greatly from having an improved pass rush.