Quarterback

Two years ago, the Falcons took an interesting approach to resolving a major need at quarterback. They signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a 4-year, 180 million dollar deal with 100 million guaranteed, even though he was in his mid-30s and coming off of an achilles tear, and then they used the 8th overall pick on Michael Penix, even though he was considered a relatively NFL ready prospect who would be 24 years as a rookie and 26 years old in his third season in the league, which seemed like the earliest he would be starting in a best case scenario for the team. 

The best case scenario did not happen, however. Cousins disappointed and was ultimately benched 14 games into his Falcons tenure. Penix took over for the final 3 games of the 2024 season and kept the job into 2025, making Cousins a very expensive backup. Penix, however, was pretty underwhelming and, perhaps more concerning, suffered multiple injuries, something that was a concern for him in college too. Most notably, he suffered a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in week 11, putting Cousins back into the starting lineup.

Now Penix goes into his third season in the league having started just 12 games, while completing 59.6% of his passes for an average of 7.24 YPA, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, and he is already in his age 26 season with a concerning injury history. The Falcons still let go of Cousins this off-season, unable to come to terms on a cheaper contract with him, with most of his guaranteed money already paid out. Cousins was replaced with ex-Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who came on a minimum deal because the Dolphins released him despite being on the hook for almost his whole salary in 2026 regardless of whether or not he was on the roster.

Tagovailoa had some moments in Miami, but largely due to his supporting cast around him. Last season, with a diminished supporting cast, he completed just 67.7% of his passes for an average of 6.93 YPA, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Tagovailoa also has a concerning injury history, most notably his concussion history. There is a reason the Dolphins opted to pay him to go away this off-season, as keeping him on the roster for 2026 could have guaranteed his 2027 salary had he suffered a significant injury, which is much bigger concern with him than most quarterbacks. 

It sounds like Penix and Tagovailoa will have a legitimate quarterback competition and that Tagovailoa could start week 1 even if Penix is healthy enough to play. Either way, the chances that they get more than low end starter play out of either is not particularly high and whoever wins the starting job could easily get benched and/or injured, making it likely that both quarterbacks will ultimately see time this season.

The outcome wasn’t what they wanted, but the Falcons were right to be aggressive at the quarterback position two off-seasons ago, as they were legitimately a quarterback away from being a contender. Even with a subpar quarterback room, the Falcons haven’t been bad the past two seasons, going 16-18. Now two years later, the Falcons being a quarterback away from being contenders largely remains the case, despite a few departures from their supporting cast, but it seems unlikely they will get significantly better quarterback play than the past two seasons and, as a result, it seems unlikely they will win significantly more games. Once again, a subpar quarterback room holds back an above average overall roster.

Grade: C+

Running Backs

A big part of their above average roster is running back Bijan Robinson, who is arguably the best all-around running back in the league. Selected 8th overall in 2023, Robinson has averaged 4.85 YPC with 25 touchdowns on 805 carries in his career, with 3.37 yards per carry after contact, a 25.3% missed tackle rate, a 52.7% carry success rate, and 1.39 yards per route run. He’s also never missed a game due to injury in his career and is only going into his age 24 season, so he is as risk free as running backs come, in addition to having elite talent. He should have a similar season in 2026 as he did in 2025, when he rushed for 1,478 yards and 7 touchdowns on 287 carries (5.15 YPC) with a 79/820/4 slash line on 103 targets. 

Even with Robinson being an elite lead back, the Falcons ran the ball enough last season for backup Tyler Allgeier to have 143 carries. Allgeier left as a free agent this off-season, but the Falcons replaced him with a former starting running back in Brian Robinson, who has averaged 4.12 YPC and 17 touchdowns on 662 carries in four seasons in the league, with 2.92 yards per carry after contact, a 18.0% missed tackle rate, a 50.5% carry success rate, and 1.10 yards per route run. As far as true #2 running backs go, he is one of the better ones in the league and he figures to have a similar role to Allgeier, behind Bijan Robinson, one of the best all-around running backs in the league.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

The Falcons also have an elite wide receiver in Drake London, who has averaged 2.15 yards per route run in four seasons in the league, since going 8th overall in 2022. His most productive season came in 2024, when he had a 100/1271/9 slash line and averaged 2.32 yards per route run, good for 11th in the NFL that season. Last season, London missed five games, but still had a 68/919/7 slash line, which extrapolates to 96/1302/10 over 17 games, and averaged 2.34 yards per route run, again good for 11th in the NFL. Still only in his age 25 season, with a limited injury history (one game missed in three seasons prior to last season), London is an obvious bounce back candidate in 2026.

The rest of this wide receiver group is a big concern though. Darnell Mooney was solid as the #2 wide receiver in 2024, totaling a 64/992/5 slash line with 1.88 yards per route run, but Mooney was never really healthy in 2025 and fell to a 32/443/1 slash line on 0.97 yards per route run, leading to his release this off-season. In his place, the Falcons signed Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to contracts worth 15 million over 2 years and 4.5 million over 2 years respectively and then used a third round pick on Zachariah Branch.

Even as a third round rookie, Branch might be the best option of the bunch, which says more about Dotson and Zaccheaus then it does about Branch’s NFL readiness. Dotson was a first round pick in 2022, but has been a massive bust, averaging just 0.83 yards per route run in four seasons in the league, with an average of 380 receiving yards per season. Dotson is still only in his age 26 season, but he is running out of time to make good on his upside and he would need to improve significantly to be even an average wide receiver. Zaccheaus, meanwhile, has averaged 1.22 yards per route run in his career, including 0.93 yards per route run with a 39/313/2 slash line last season.

With London missing time with injury and Mooney struggling, tight end Kyle Pitts took on a bigger role in the passing game last season and that seems likely to remain the case this season, after the Falcons paid Pitts 15.045 million to keep him on the franchise tag. Pitts finished last season with a 88/928/8 slash line on 118 targets with 1.71 yards per route run. Pitts never lived up his draft slot after being taken 4th overall by the Falcons in 2021, which made him the highest drafted tight end in NFL history, but, despite his ups and downs, he still has the 8th most catches and the 4th most receiving yards by a tight end since entering the league, while averaging 1.64 yards per route run. Still only in his age 26 season, he should remain an above average receiving tight end in 2026.

Pitts will be backed up by free agent addition Austin Hooper. Hooper is going into his age 32 season and hasn’t been a regular starter in several seasons, but he still averaged 1.34 yards per route run in a part-time role last season, in line with his career average of 1.37. He could decline in 2026, but even if he does, he is not a bad #2 tight end. The Falcons also still have Charlie Woerner, a blocking specialist who has averaged just 0.50 yards per route run with just 26 catches in 98 games in six seasons in the league. Drake London is a true #1 wide receiver and Kyle Pitts is an above average receiving tight end, but the Falcons’ lack of depth at wide receiver behind London is a significant issue.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Falcons also have an elite offensive lineman, as right guard Chris Lindstrom has played at an All-Pro level in each of the past five seasons. He’s also been very durable, missing just one game in six seasons in the league. Still in his late prime in his age 29 season, I would expect him to continue playing at an elite level in 2026. Unfortunately, the rest of this offensive line has seen better days. Former center Drew Dalman left as a free agent last off-season. Former right tackle Kaleb McGary missed all of last season with injury and opted to retire this off-season, ahead of what would have been his age 31 season. Left tackle Jake Matthews is still there, but he is going into his age 34 season.

Dalman was replaced by former backup Ryan Neuzil. A former 2021 undrafted free agent, Neuzil made 8 starts in place of an injured Dalman in 2024 and was decent and he continued that decent play into 2025 (17 starts), though he was still a downgrade from Dalman, who was a borderline All-Pro. McGary was originally replaced by former swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson, who was a liability in 17 starts last season. With McGary not returning, the Falcons replaced him with free agent addition Jawaan Taylor, who is also likely to be a liability. He has made 111 starts in seven seasons in the league, but he has mostly been below average in those seven seasons. Making matters worse, with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix both being left handed, Taylor will be the blindside protector.

On the left side, Jake Matthews hasn’t shown any signs of decline yet and he has been extremely durable, not missing a game since his rookie year in 2014, which helps his chances of aging gracefully, but it is possible he declines at least somewhat this season, which further hurts this offensive line. He will start next to Matt Bergeron, whose development from a decent starter as a 2023 2nd round pick to an above average starter over the past two seasons has been a bright spot for this offensive line. Still very much in his prime in his age 26 season, Bergeron should remain an above average starter in 2026.

For depth options, the Falcons have veteran swing tackle Storm Norton and veteran interior lineman Corey Levin. Levin has had some moments in his career, but only across 7 starts in 9 seasons in the league and he is now heading into his age 32 season, while Storm Norton has also had his moments, across 22 starts in 9 seasons in the league, but he is also going into his age 32 season and missed all of last season with injury. This offensive line isn’t what it used to be, but this is still a solid offensive line, elevated by the presence of elite right guard Chris Lindstrom. 

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Falcons had a decent defense last season, ranking 14th in schedule adjusted efficiency, but there are some reasons for concern. James Pearce led the team with 10.5 sacks last season, adding 3 hits and a 12.5% pressure rate, though he did struggle against the run. Pearce was a first round pick in 2025 and in a normal situation I would expect him to be better in 2026, perhaps both as a run stopper and a pass rusher, but Pearce was involved in a serious legal situation this season and is likely to face some sort of suspension by the league, which will be a blow to this defense.

The draft pick the Falcons used to select Pearce was acquired by trading away their first round pick this year to the Rams, which ended up being 13th overall, which left them without a premium pick to add to this roster this off-season. The Falcons’ own first round pick in 2025 was used on another edge defender, Jalon Walker, who also had a solid rookie season, finishing with 5.5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate, while playing at an above average level against the run. He should at least take a step forward in year two, but the Falcons would be better off if they had both Walker and Pearce together for the whole season, which seems unlikely given how Pearce spent his off-season off the field.

Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd were solid pass rushers as reserves last season too, combining for 5.5 sacks, 13 hits, and a 13.0% pressure rate, but neither were retained so, In Pearce’s likely absence, replacement options include Samson Ebukam, Azeez Ojulari, and Cameron Thomas, who are all underwhelming options. Ojulari was a 2nd round pick in 2021 and is still only in his age 26 season, but he has just a 10.4% pressure rate in his career, has played in just 49 games in five seasons in the league, and played just 67 snaps total last season, frequently being a healthy scratch. Cameron Thomas has only averaged 243 snaps per season and a 9.4% pressure rate in four seasons in the league, since being selected in the 3rd round in 2022.

Ebukam used to be an above average starter, with his best season coming in 2023, when he totaled 9.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 10.7% pressure rate, but he tore his achilles and missed all of 2024 and then was not the same upon his return in 2025, providing mediocre play against the run and as a pass rusher (9.8% pressure rate) across 416 snaps. Ebukam could be better in 2026, another year removed from the injury, but he is also in his age 31 season, so it seems unlikely he will ever bounce back to his old form. This figures to be a significantly worse position group than a year ago with James Pearce likely facing a significant suspension and useful reserves Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie not being retained.

Grade: B-

Interior Defenders

The Falcons’ top-2 interior defenders in terms of snaps played last season, David Onyemata (633 snaps) and Ruke Orhorhoro (599 snaps) are no longer on the roster. Onyemata was decent last season, but Orhorhoro was a liability and his loss could be addition by subtraction. Unfortunately, the player they traded him for, Maason Smith, is unlikely to be significantly better. Smith was a second round pick in 2024, but has been a liability on snap counts of 384 and 311 in his two seasons in the league respectively. He still has theoretical upside, only going into his age 24 season, but he has a long way to go to even be a decent rotational player.

Smith figures to play a significant role alongside Brandon Dorius, who is their top returning interior defender from last season in terms of snaps played (465), and Zach Harrison, who was limited to 7 games by injury last season, but played 34.1 snaps per game when healthy. Dorius was second on the team with 8.5 sacks last season, but his peripheral pass rush stats were not as good, as he had just 1 hit and a 8.3% pressure rate, nor was his run defense, which was mediocre. Harrison is probably their all-around best interior defender option, providing decent run defense and a 9.1% pressure rate in three seasons in the league since being selected in the 3rd round in 2023, but he has only averaged 285 snaps per season thus far in his career, playing a reserve role in his first two seasons before missing much of last season, so he is a projection to a larger role.

Deep reserve options for the Falcons include Lacale London, who has been decent, but only across 475 snaps in six seasons in the league, including a career high 270 snaps in 2025, 6th round rookie Anterio Thompson, free agent addition Chris Williams, who has mostly struggled on snaps counts of 367 and 219 over the past two seasons, and Dashawn Hand, who has been a decent rotational player in his career, but is now going into his age 31 season. This is overall an underwhelming position group.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

The Falcons lost Kaden Elliss this off-season and he was a solid every down player across 1,102 snaps last season. In his absence, the Falcons will either start free agent addition Christian Harris or Troy Andersen, who missed all of last season with injury. Both will be significant downgrades. Harris has been a liability in four seasons in the league, while only starting 27 of 46 games he has played, while Andersen, who has only played 907 total snaps in four seasons in the league, largely due to injuries, and has generally been below average when he has played. Andersen is probably their best option by default, but neither one is a good option. The Falcons also added Kendal Daniels in the 4th round of the draft, but he is unlikely to be ready to start as a rookie.

Fortunately, Divine Deablo, who was actually the Falcons’ best linebacker last season and a big part of their defensive success, remains on the roster. A 3rd round pick in 2021, Deablo took a little bit to develop, but he has turned into an above average starter in the past two seasons, particularly excelling in coverage. Last season, he was best among eligible linebackers in receptions per coverage snap and in pass breakup percentage. Still in his prime in his age 28 season, I would expect more above average play from him in 2026, but the concern is his injury history. 

Not only did Deablo miss four games last season, but he hasn’t played all 17 games since his rookie season, while missing 18 total games in five seasons in the league and never exceeding 771 snaps played in a season. It is possible the Falcons get more games and snaps out of him in 2026 than 2025, which would help this defense, but that is far from a guarantee. Deablo elevates this position group by himself, but not enough for this to be better than a below average position group overall, given the state of the rest of the group.

Grade: C+

Secondary

The Falcons’ secondary is the strength of their defense. Top cornerback AJ Terrell has been a consistently above average starter for several seasons, while starting all 93 games played in 6 seasons in the league. Meanwhile, top safety Jessie Bates has been a borderline All-Pro caliber safety for several seasons, while starting all 130 games played in 8 seasons in the league. With Terrell only going into his age 28 season and Bates going into his age 29 season, both should continue playing at the level they have played in recent years. Xavier Watts remains as the starter next to Bates and he was solid as a 17-game starter last season, despite only being a 3rd round rookie. Now going into his second season in the league, he could easily be better in 2026 than 2025. 

Terrell, Bates, and Hughes give the Falcons a good top-3 in the secondary. However, cornerback was a position of weakness other than AJ Terrell last season, with Mike Hughes (689 snaps) and Dee Alford (581 snaps) struggling in their roles last season. The Falcons used a second round pick on Avieon Terrell, who could be an upgrade by default at one of those spots as a rookie, but that would still leave one spot being a liability. 

Alford is no longer on the roster, but Hughes remains and, if he continues starting, he would likely continue struggling, as he has throughout his career (49 starts in 99 games in 8 seasons in the league). The Falcons do also get Billy Bowman back from a torn achilles that ended his rookie season after 300 snaps in 6 games, but the 4th round pick also struggled as a rookie and is unlikely to be significantly better in year two, given that he is coming off of a major injury. This secondary has top end talent, but there are still concerns.

Grade: B+

Kickers

The Falcons upgraded the kicker position this off-season in a big way, signing Nick Folk. Folk is going into his age 42 season, which is obviously a concern, but he has been one of the best kickers in the league throughout his career and he has not slowed down in his old age. No kicker has contributed more than the 28.92 points added over average in the past three seasons combined. Even if he isn’t quite as good in 2026, he should still remain an above average option.

Grade: A-

Conclusion

The Falcons finished last year 15th in schedule adjusted efficiency, slightly better than their 8-9 record. However, they lost some key players on defense this off-season and have an old roster, ranking 4th in snap adjusted age in 2025 and 7th in average age of their roster currently. Given that, they might not even win the 8 games they won last season. The obvious caveat is they would improve, perhaps significantly, if they got good quarterback play for the first time in years, but that seems unlikely.

Prediction: 7-10, 3rd in NFC South