Atlanta Falcons: What to make of the final 53-man roster

The Atlanta Falcons announced their final 53-man roster yesterday afternoon.

Almost all of the players that were selected to the team were not surprise picks. But, as there always are, a couple of players got snubbed.

The biggest snub went to rookie wide receive J.D. McKissic who won over the fan base with a 101-yard kick return touchdown, and several other highlights over his four preseason games. Many predicted him to find his way onto the roster, but in the end, Nick Williams as picked over him.

It’s unclear as to if McKissic will find his way onto the Falcons’ 10-man practice squad, but he’s definitely deserving of it. this could easily be a player that spend a year on the practice squad and then finds a home on the 53-man roster in 2017.

Arguably the second most surprising aspect of the 53-man roster was their decision to keep four tight ends. Jacob Tamme leads the pack with Levine Toilolo, Austin Hooper and Josh Perkins following suite.

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Perkins was a minor surprise, but he may not remain on the roster for very long. With Keanu Neal set to return in a few weeks and Jalen Collins coming off of his four-game suspension after week four, at least two of the players currently on the roster will not be once those two return.

The Falcons could also sign either an offensive lineman or a cornerback which would likely kick someone off of the roster as well. And if that were to take place, Perkins would likely be the casualty.

One other disappointment was rookie running back Brandon Wilds not making the final cut. After missing the final preseason game with an injury, second-year back Terron Ward played himself onto the roster by default. Wilds appeared to be the better option, but wasn’t selected.

Other than that, the roster is solid. The roster features 17 players that were not on the 2015 roster. They have a lot of depth at most positions other than cornerback, and have a good mixture of youth to go with their veterans.

The roster features two undrafted free agents: corner Brian Poole and Perkins. And it also features a former wide receiver turned cornerback, C.J. Goodwin.

Former Washington Redskins receiver Aldrick Robinson also made his way onto the roster after having a very good training camp.

Here is what the 53-man roster currently sits at:

QB Matt Ryan QB Matt Schaub

RB Devonta Freeman
RB Tevin Coleman
RB Terron Ward

FB Patrick DiMarco

WR Julio Jones
WR Mohamed Sanu WR Aldrick Robinson
WR Justin Hardy
WR Nick Williams WR Eric Weems

TE Jacob Tamme
TE Levine Toilolo
TE Austin Hooper
TE Josh Perkins

LT Jake Matthews
RT Ryan Schraeder
ST Tom Compton

LG Andy Levitre
RG Chris Chester
G Wes Schweitzer
G Mike Person

C Alex Mack
G/C Ben Garland

DE Derrick Shelby
DE Vic Beasley
DE Dwight Freeney
DE Adrian Clayborn
DE Ra’Shede Hageman

DT Grady Jarrett
DT Tyson Jackson
DT Courtney Upshaw
DT Jonathan Babineaux

WLB De’Vondre Campbell
MLB Deion Jones
SLB/DE Brooks Reed
LB Sean Weatherspoon LB Paul Worrilow
LB Philip Wheeler LB LaRoy Reynolds

CB Desmond Trufant
CB Robert Alford
CB Brian Poole
CB C.J. Goodwin

FS Ricardo Allen
SS Kemal Ishmael
S Robenson Therezie
S Dashon Goldson

K Matt Bryant
P Matt Bosher
LS Josh Harris

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