After three weeks of training camp in Flowery Branch, three preseason games (two of which were on the road), and a major glimpse of what to expect from this new regime, it's now time for Atlanta Falcons to finalize their final 53-man roster ahead of the cut deadline tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Following a 17-12 victory in the preseason finale over the Miami Dolphins, the Falcons won't take the field until Sunday, Sept. 13--when they'll head to Acrisure Stadium to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1--and the early afternoon showdown will mark the first real matchup of the Stefanski era.
All 32 teams must whittle down their 90-man rosters to 53 before the roster release deadline, which means there will be plenty of roster moves to keep track of. But don't you worry, we got you covered since we'll over up-to-the-minute coverage for every move the Falcons will make
- Latest Falcons roster cuts
- Updated Falcons 53-man roster
- Notable Falcons cuts
- Potential waiver wire targets from across the NFL
Latest Falcons roster cuts
Aug. 29, 4:52 p.m.: DB Keidron Smith, WR Keelan Marion, OL Andrew Stueber, OL Jaedan Roberts, LB Daveren Rayner, DT Devonnsha Maxwell, TE Joshua Simon, OL Brandon Walton, LB Channing Tindall, DL Eric Johnson, DB Darren Hall placed on IR
Aug. 30, 1:08 p.m.: OT Wanya Morris
Aug. 30, 1:40 p.m.: EDGE Bralen Trice
Aug. 30 2:00 p.m.: WR Dylan Drummond
Aug. 30: 2:06 p.m.-- WR Vinny Anthony II
Aug. 30: 2:15 p.m.--- EDGE Cameron Sample
Aug. 30: 2:20-2:50 p.m.--- CB AJ Woods, TE Nick Muse, DT Carlos Allen Jr., RB Nate Carter, C James Brockermeyer, OT Riley Mahlman
Aug. 30: 6:00 p.m.--Final Roster Released
Updated Falcons 53-man roster
- Current roster: 53 players
- Cuts remaining: 0
QB: Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush, Jack Strand
RB: Bijan Robinson, Brian Robinson Jr.
WR: Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Zachariah Branch, Olamide Zaccheus, Chris Blair,
TE: Kyle Pitts, Austin Hooper, Charlie Woerner, Jack Velling
OL: Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Kyle Hinton, Ryan Neuzil, Corey Levin, Chris Lindstrom, Kam Dewberry, Jawaan Taylor, Ethan Onianwa, Michael Jerrell,
DT: Zach Harrison, Maason Smith, Da'Shawn Hand, LaCale London, Anterio Thompson (NFI), Gervon Dexter
OLB: James Pearce Jr* (SSPD), Azeez Ojulari, Za'Darius Smith, Cameron Thomas, Samson Ebukam
ILB: Divine Deablo, Kendal Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr., Christian Harris, JD Bertrand
CB: A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell, Mike Hughes, C.J. Henderson, Billy Bowman Jr. Jammie Robinson, Malcolm DeWalt IV, Mike Ford Jr.
S: Jessie Bates, Xavier Watts, Sydney Brown, DeMarcco Hellams, Natrone Brooks
ST: Nick Folk (K), Jake Bailey (P), Liam McCullough (LS)
Notable Falcons cuts
OT Wanya Morris
The Atlanta Falcons acquired Wanya Morris from the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this offseason, so you'd think he'd be safe, right? Nope. Try again. All Ian Cunningham gave up was a late Day 3 pick swap, and this new regime sent a message that nobody is safe by releasing the veteran tackle.
With Morris nursing an injury in camp and Michael Jerrell impressing as the new swing tackle, the Falcons decided to release him after trade opportunities failed to materialize. This is the first true miss of a move Ian Cunningham has made, and it likely bodes well for Ethan Onianwa's roster hopes.
EDGE Bralen Trice
Now this is a real interesting one. Bralen Trice has yet to play a regular-season snap for the Falcons after tearing his ACL as a rookie and re-aggravating the same knee last summer. But Atlanta had high hopes for him entering Year 3 now that he was finally healthy--but cut him before he could get a shot.
The 2024 third-round pick out of Washington was buried in a pass-rushing room with Za'Darius Smith, Cameron Thomas, Azeez Ojulari, and Samson Ebukam holding down the fort with James Pearce Jr. suspended--but being unable to even claim a depth role could be curtains for his career.
However, the talent is there and now that he's healthy, he should land on a practice squad either in Atlanta or somewhere else.
WR Dylan Drummond
Atlanta was in the midst of a pretty stiff receiver battle in training camp, and Dylan Drummond was at the forefront of it. He and Chris Blair looked to be the leaders for the WR5 and WR6 jobs in camp, but as UDFA Vinny Anthony offered some resistance to the point that Drummond was getting outplayed.
The AJC's Daniel Flick reported that the Dirty Birds are expected to roster only five receivers on their Week 1 roster, so even if Drummond remained ahead of Anthony in the pecking order, it didn't matter in a crowded wide receiver room.
WR Vinny Anthony II
Speaking of Vinny Anthony, he was cut just minutes after Drummond was, confirming the report that only five receivers will make the roster--likely confirming Chris Blair's fate as WR5. And while the rookie was a standout in training camp and the preseason, it wasn't enough to make the roster.
However, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported that as long as the undrafted rookie clears waivers, he's a likely candidate to remain on the practice squad--so there is a silver lining here.
DT Carlos Allen Jr.
And now the second Falcons undrafted rookie to turn heads in the preseason is released. Hopefully Jack Strand doesn't make it three. But when Atlanta acquired Gervon Dexter from Chicago this morning, he likely would've been on the roster bubble anyway, but they had no room for him after.
Between Brandon Dorlus, Maason Smith, Zach Harrison, Da'Shawn Hand, La'Cale London, and now Dexter and still possibly Chris Williams, this DT room is awfully crowded. But with the way he impressed in the preseason, hopefully he sticks around on the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Potential waiver wire targets from across the NFL
Miami Dolphins LB Tyrel Dodson
One of the biggest surprise releases of the weekend was Dolphins' LB Tyrel Dodson. The guy recorded 129 tackles, 10 TFLs, and five sacks in 2025--all of which marked career highs. Yet Miami is choosing to roll with Jordyn Brooks and Jacobs Rodriguez as their chosen starting linebackers.
And for a Falcons team in need of linebacker depth, this would be an interesting get. Divine Deablo is the starter, but right now, it's unclear who of Christian Harris, Kendal Daniels, and Harold Perkins Jr. will start next to him. Not only would Dodson answer that question, he'd add stability to the LB room.
Cleveland Browns WR Cedric Tillman
This new Falcons' regime is a big fan of bringing in players they have past ties to (see the Gervon Dexter trade Ian Cunningham just made), and right now, they can kill two birds with one stone. They need receiver depth, and the best one currently available is a player who Kevin Stefanski coached in Cleveland.
The Browns released Cedric Tillman a couple of days ago, and Atlanta is a logical fit. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he'l offer them another outside threat beyond Drake London and Jahan Dotson--and considering he's logged 833 yards and five scores in three seasons, he's a quality depth wideout.
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