The 2025 season is a complete lost cause, and big changes are required for the Atlanta Falcons. They're sitting at 3-7 and are lacking a first-round pick that could end up in the top five with Michael Penix Jr. out for the year, as fans are starting to permanently lose hope in this rebuild.
Drastic improvement is necessary to create a contender in 2026 on both sides of the ball. For this exercise, let's discuss the three weak links on this roster who have no business returning to Atlanta in 2026.
3 players the Falcons need to move on from this offseason to complete their rebuild
QBs Michael Penix Jr. & Kirk Cousins
Here's the problem: there is no replacement. The Falcons' pitiful season would have set them up perfectly to draft a QB early in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they traded that pick away to improve the pass rush in the last draft.
With no first-round pick, no cap space, and Kirk Cousins' massive contract on the books, things aren't looking pretty in Atlanta. And now he's starting the rest of the way, so fans are even more discouraged.
Michael Penix Jr. has severely struggled this season, and his 60% completion percentage proves he's not the future in Atlanta. The good news is he doesn't throw many interceptions, but doesn't throw many touchdowns either. Even if he were the future, he suffered another ACL tear that could see him miss the early part of the 2026 season.
Cousins, on the other hand, has fallen off a cliff. Through his two games this season, his completion percentage isn't much better than Penix, and he'll be 38 next season. Things are bad in Atlanta, and it's all Terry Fontenot's fault.
Falcons' fans hope not to see Penix or Cousins in Atlanta next year, but they don't have another choice.
EDGE Arnold Ebiketie
Ebiketie was a lone hotspot in the pass rush over the last couple of seasons, but he disappeared this year. The fourth-year defensive end totaled 12 sacks the last two seasons, but has just one this season. Last year, Ebiketie had a career high of 24 Quarterback pressures and 12 QB hits.
Through Week 11, the Penn State product has five pressures and 3 QB hits this season, and he's taken a backseat to the two rookie defensive ends. His snap percentage has dropped just 9% this season, but his output has disappeared.
The 26-year-old is struggling to make an impact this season, and his replacements are already here. Ebiketie should not return in 2026, simply because he's no longer needed.
The emergence of Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr, and a horde of others has created a formidable Falcons' pass rush. Ebiketie was once a necessary and helpful addition to the defense; now he's an expendable asset.
But more than any player, the Dirty Birds need to move on from both Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot.