FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff let it be known that the team wants linebacker Sean Weatherspoon to be a part of the revival.

Later, new coach Dan Quinn, after evaluating the returning veterans, stated that he’d love to have Weatherspoon back.

However, as free agency is quickly approaching, the team and Weatherspoon’s camp are not close to settling on a deal for the linebacker, who’s recovering from Achilles surgery.

Last season, the Falcons offered Corey Peters a one-year, make-good deal, while he was recovering. A few years ago, when Brent Grimes was coming off an Achilles, the Miami Dolphins outbid the Falcons for his services, and he has since gone on to play in two Pro Bowls.

“Sean Weatherspoon is going to be an important part of building this defense and building this team,” Dimitroff said. “He has that side of him and that leadership that we need across the board.”

Weatherspoon was not happy last season as the defense descended to the bottom of the league. He took umbrage with the weekly updates on where the defense was ranked.

Seven months into a rehab that is projected to last 8-10 months, he has been working diligently and has started to run.

“He’s a guy that’s really, really focused on his rehab,” Dimitroff said. “We need him back in this organization to help us go to another level. He’s starting to move around.”

Weatherspoon, the team’s first-round pick (19th overall) in 2010, was headed into a contract season before rupturing his Achilles tendon while running with the training staff in June.

Weatherspoon, 26, was coming off a tough campaign in 2013. The 6-foot-1, 241-pound linebacker spent part of the season on short-term injured reserve with a foot injury, only to leave again with a knee injury.

Dimitroff just released four veterans, including running back Steven Jackson.

“We had a number of players that we had to release and they contributed a lot to this organization,” Dimitroff said. “It’s never easy to do that. It’s one of the functions of playing in the National Football League.”

In addition to Jackson, the Falcons dropped wide receiver Harry Douglas, longtime left guard Justin Blalock and defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi on Friday. Massaquoi was claimed by the Tennessee Titans.

The Blalock cut was the most shocking. He had started 125 games — including 102 in a row — since the Falcons selected him in the second round of the 2007 draft.

“Justin did some great things for us and was a very important part of an offensive line that helped (quarterback) Matt Ryan develop,” Dimitroff said. “He helped this offense be what this offense was throughout the years since 2008.”

The Jackson and Douglas moves were understandable and even expected.

Jackson was unproductive and, considering their needs on defense, the Falcons couldn’t afford the luxury of paying Douglas, the team’s third wide receiver, a $3.5 million salary.

Massaquoi showed the most promise of the slew of defensive ends the team has drafted in recent years, but he apparently fell out of favor with the coaching staff.

“We just felt it was time to part ways and allow him to venture out and find something that may be appropriate for him,” Dimitroff said.

Quinn, who will kick off the offseason program in early April, said he is enjoying helping to retool the roster.

“It’s fun watching tape together and getting to know each other,” Quinn said. “Our whole challenge is to see how we can take each guy and help them improve. That’s really the challenge for our whole staff.”

The Falcons can start contacting agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents at 4 p.m. on Saturday. However, teams cannot enter into contracts until 4 p.m. on March 10, the start of the league’s new business year.

With the round of recent cuts, the Falcons are $33.5 million under their adjusted salary cap of $146.2 million.

“We believe that we are positioned very well,” Dimitroff said. “We are in a good situation. We’ve been very creative in how we are envisioning the future build of this football team.”