Training camp is just about to wrap up for the Atlanta Falcons, with the final camp practice slated for Wednesday, Aug. 28. But, before that aforementioned final day, Tuesday afternoon will be a time for teams across the NFL to trim their roster size by 4 p.m. ET to comply with the 53-man regular-season limit. Teams will go from 90 to 53 players, cutting nearly 40 athletes on each squad.
Today, we take a look and project the final 53-man roster for Atlanta — which shouldn’t look too different from projections you may have already seen — as we continue to push forward and look toward the team’s Week 1 showdown against former head coach Arthur Smith and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sep. 8.
So, without further ado:
Quarterback (3):
- Kirk Cousins
- Michael Penix Jr.
- Taylor Heinicke
Cousins and Penix are obvious locks to make the roster in this quarterback room, there’s no debate there. The third quarterback, however, is where it was tricky…until yesterday. Heinicke and UDFA quarterback John Paddock were battling for the third spot in this room, right up until Atlanta made a few early cuts yesterday afternoon, with Paddock being amongst the releases. Heinicke sticks with the team, although not being able to perform particularly well throughout the offseason and into preseason. It’s also very possible that Atlanta makes a trade involving the veteran quarterback, to which the Falcons receive a draft pick in return. But, at the end of the day, with his experience in the league as a backup, I think that will be just enough in the staff’s minds to keep Heinicke on this team until further notice. It doesn’t sound too thrilling, though, I know.
Running Back (4):
- Bijan Robinson
- Tyler Allgeier
- Avery Williams
- Jase McClellan
UDFA Carlos Washington Jr. just missed a spot on this roster after having a rather solid training camp performance. With Robinson and Allgeier the clear-cut one and two along with Williams expected to retain his spot after returning to the field after his ACL injury, I believe that the final running back job here goes to the rookie McClellan, who looked good throughout camp and preseason.
Wide Receiver (6):
- Drake London
- Darnell Mooney
- Ray-Ray McCloud III
- Casey Washington
- KhaDarel Hodge
- Chris Blair
This was interesting. Over the last few weeks, Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending injury, and his replacement Jakeem Grant was also placed on injured reserve just a few short days after being signed, before inevitably being released earlier last week. London and Mooney are the leaders here, but in the event one of them goes down for some extended time, this room looks a bit worrisome. McCloud holds down the slot receiver position, while Washington and Hodge are the depth players behind the starters. For now, Blair could get the last spot after having an impressive preseason performance, although I don’t think that will last the entirety of the season. I’d expect at some point or another, for the team to add a free agent receiver to this room and give the group a little bit more solidified depth, thus sending Blair to the practice squad.
Tight End (3):
- Kyle Pitts
- Charlie Woerner
- Ross Dwelley
Pitts is the top dog in this room, so he should easily see a majority of targets distributed for the tight ends. Woerner acts as Pitts’ understudy and will also likely see a handful of receptions throughout the season. For the third spot in this room, I decided to keep Dwelley who could provide solid pass-catching depth. John FitzPatrick unfortunately misses the final roster, but don’t be surprised to see him earn a spot on the practice squad, as he is consistently a reliable blocking tight end for Atlanta.
Offensive Linemen (8):
- Jake Matthews
- Matthew Bergeron
- Drew Dalman
- Chris Lindstrom
- Kaleb McGary
- Storm Norton
- Ryan Neuzil
- Kyle Hinton
No real shock here. The five starters on the offensive line remain with the team, as well as some reliable depth pieces. Norton played well when covering for McGary during the latter’s injury last season, so he stays on the team as a primary backup swing tackle for this offensive line. Neuzil is going to be used as the backup center and Hinton will provide versatility as the swing guard on the line, making for two more serviceable backups.
Defensive Linemen (8):
- Grady Jarrett
- David Onyemata
- Zach Harrison
- Ruke Orhorhoro
- Ta’Quon Graham
- Brandon Dorlus
- Kentavius Street
- Eddie Goldman
This group wasn’t super difficult to project, either. The three expected starters of Jarrett, Onyemata and Harrison, rookies in Orhorhoro and Dorlus, reliable depth pieces in Graham and Street, and a player coming out of retirement – for real this time – in Goldman shape the defensive line for the Falcons. This defensive front looks the best it has been in recent years, and that should hopefully result in a productive season for a handful of players in this room.
Outside Linebacker (4):
- Matthew Judon
- Lorenzo Carter
- Arnold Ebiketie
- James Smith-Williams
Third-round rookie Bralen Trice went down a few weeks ago with a season-ending ACL injury. This was a tough loss for a pass rush group that desperately needed all the help it could get. General manager Terry Fontenot wasted little time, as he would end up trading for Patriots star pass-rusher Matthew Judon about a week-and-a-half ago. Judon comes in and will now lead this outside linebacker group, as he is undoubtedly Atlanta’s premier pass-rusher that they have waited over five years to have. Carter has been getting first-team reps at the EDGE position throughout camp and presumably has the second starting rusher job on lock. Ebiketie and Smith-Williams provide solid enough depth at this position.
Inside Linebacker (4):
- Kaden Elliss
- Troy Andersen
- Nate Landman
- J.D. Bertrand
Without a doubt one of the more well-rounded position groups on this team, so this was another easy one. Elliss, Andersen and Landman will likely rotate at the two starting spots as all three are very capable starters, with the rookie Bertrand expected to provide a good amount of depth and could even spend some time participating in special teams.
Cornerback (6):
- A.J. Terrell
- Mike Hughes
- Dee Alford
- Clark Phillips III
- Antonio Hamilton Sr.
- Kevin King
Terrell is Atlanta’s starting corner, no surprise for him to make the roster. Seven-year veteran Hughes is projected to be the starter opposite Terrell – unless Phillips is rewarded with the spot. Alford is a lock to be the team’s starting nickel corner. Natrone Brooks was a player I thought very hard about giving a spot to, but I think Hamilton and King are the players that the staff decides to keep for some much needed depth. That’s not a knock on Brooks, because he has played outstanding throughout the preseason and he very much deserves a spot on the active roster, I just think the coaching staff unfortunately leaves him out here.
Safety (4):
- Jessie Bates III
- Justin Simmons
- Richie Grant
- DeMarcco Hellams
Bates cements his spot as the team’s star safety, and he just recently gained a stud running mate. 24 hours after Atlanta traded for Judon, they wound up signing Justin Simmons to a one-year, $ 8 million dollar deal. Bates and Simmons now boast the best safety duo in the entire league, and they should be very fun to watch take the field together in 2024. Grant secures a spot behind them, as does Hellams. In Atlanta’s opening preseason game against the Dolphins, Hellams was carted off with an air cast on his leg. Coach Morris acknowledged in a press conference a few days after, that Hellams would “miss significant time” due to his injury. Atlanta didn’t place the second-year safety on injured reserve, however, which still holds him an active spot on the roster. With this said, it unfortunately pushes Micah Abernathy off of the final roster and likely into the practice squad until further notice. If the team eventually sends Hellams to injured reserve, Abernathy would almost certainly earn the last active safety spot here.
Special Teams (3):
- K Younghoe Koo
- P Bradley Pinion
- LS Liam McCullough
This was an easy one to determine, no explanation here.
How do you think the final roster shakes out on Tuesday?
Stay up to date on all social media platforms and with Sporting News, so you don’t miss any Falcons news.
