After months of anticipation, Atlanta Falcons training camp is finally upon us. We'll get our first glimpse of the Kevin Stefanski era, but we're also going to see plenty of competition for roster spots across several different position groups, which will be the most intriguing storyline we get to witness.
The difference between Stefanski and previous Falcons head coaches is that Atlanta is going to lean more on training camp competition to determine the final 53-man roster. And in turn, it's good to take a chance to consider what a possible Week 1 roster looks like before training camp officially begins.
The Falcons are embracing the competition, but right now, here's what I think the final roster will look like:
Assessing what the Falcons' Week 1 roster will look like before training camp
QBs: Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., Trevor Siemian (3)
Weirdly enough, the quarterback pecking order feels pretty in stone considering the competition to be named the Week 1 starter has yet to truly begin. Obviously, both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa will make the Week 1 roster, but the QB3 battle is one of the more underrated storylines.
Stefanski is known to prefer rostering three quarterbacks, so I would expect one of Jack Strand or Trevor Siemian to stick around. The question is which one. The Falcons also signed Siemian this offseason, but evidently have high hopes for the undrafted rookie to cause chaos in the QB room.
Assuming Penix or Tua (or both) go down, Atlanta should covet having a veteran presence in the QB room, so right now I lean towards Siemian taking this roster spot while Strand spends the year developing on the practice squad, but this could change if the latter has a strong summer.
RBs: Bijan Robinson, Brian Robinson Jr., Tyler Goodson (3)
Like the quarterbacks, the running back room is mostly decided. We already know Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson will take the top two spots and that won't change. But the RB3 competition between Nate Carter and Tyler Goodson will be another one of the more intriguing storylines of training camp.
Carter was a training camp darling this time last summer, but that impression was made on an entirely different coaching staff. Raheem Morris isn't here anymore, and Stefanski and company willingly brought in Goodson--so if he shines like he did in mandatory minicamp, the RB3 job is his to lose.
WRs: Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Zachariah Branch, Olamide Zaccheus, Dylan Drummond, Vinny Anthony II (6)
This is where things get dicey. The receiver room was one of the biggest areas of concern last year, and it's only marginally better. Naturally, Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Zachariah Branch, and Olamide Zaccheus are all safe, so that leaves two roster spots for multiple other wideouts to duke it out for.
Juice Wells Jr., Dylan Drummond, Chris Blair, and undrafted rookies Vinny Anthony, Keelan Marion, and Le'Meke Brockington are the ones vying for these roster spots. And of the three non-rookies, I would say Drummond earned himself some goodwill after the way he played at the end of last year.
Wells doesn't feel like more than a camp body, and Blair should stick around on the practice squad. And of the three UDFAs, they all offer at least some special teams value, but Stefanski likes receivers he can use creatively, and the versatility of Vinny Anthony should be fun to watch in the preseason.
TEs: Kyle Pitts, Austin Hooper, Charlie Woerner (3)
After extending Kyle Pitts a few weeks back, he obviously isn't in any sort of danger. This new staff has big plans for him. And given how much the Dirty Birds are going to run 12-personnel, neither is Austin Hooper after the big deal that was his return to Atlanta.
The question here is with Charlie Woerner. He was labeled a potential cap casualty earlier in the offseason, but since he's such a plus as a run blocker, he would see the field when the Falcons line up in 13-personnel--and cutting him isn't worth saving the $1 million in dead cap to take it would cut him.
This means that both Joshua Simon and Jack Velling get cut before the season, and Simon seems likelier to stick around on the practice squad.
OL: Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, Jawaan Taylor, Wanya Morris, James Brockermeyer, Corey Levin, Kyle Hinton, Ethan Onianwa (10)
The starting offensive line is in no doubt. Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, and Jawaan Taylor all have their roster spots on lock. But given the amount of depth the Falcons have on the offensive line, there's a question of how many depth OL they will roster.
The main competition is at the tackle spots. Wanya Morris, Jack Nelson, Riley Mahlman, Michael Jerrell, and rookie Ethan Onianwa are all vying for a roster spot. And Morris is bound to take one of them after the Falcons traded for him just a couple of weeks ago, but it gets complicated from there.
Stefanski and Ian Cunningham have preferred to let their own guys stick around compared to the ones brought in by the previous regime, And since Onianwa was just drafted and Nelson and Jerrell were brought in by Terry Fontenot, him taking the backup right tackle spot feels like a slam dunk.
Then you have the interior. UDFA James Brockermeyer has been making waves at center, but the Falcons brought in Corey Levin for a reason due to his experience playing for Bill Callahan. However, Kyle Hinton proved himself to be a quality backup when Bergeron was hurt last season.
EDGE: Jalon Walker, Azeez Ojulari, Samson Ebukam, Cameron Thomas, DeAngelo Malone (5)
The edge rushing room was difficult to evaluate because of the possibility of a James Pearce Jr. suspension, so in expecting that, I left him off the Week 1 roster. So once we know more information in the league's investigation about a possible Pearce suspension, we will update this accordingly.
Otherwise, there wasn't much doubt to be had. Jalon Walker, Azeez Ojulari, and Samson Ebukam are on the right side of the bubble--as is Cameron Thomas after following Stefanski to Atlanta. So with Pearce missing time, the final roster spot off the edge will go to Bralen Trice or DeAngelo Malone.
Malone was drafted by Arthur Smith and didn't improve at all under Raheem Morris, so this summer is his final opportunity to save himself. Frankly, if Pearce didn't have the looming risk of a suspension, he would be on the chopping block--so he needs to put his best foot forward in training camp.
Meanwhile, we have no idea what Trice is. He has yet to play a single NFL snap, so training camp will uncover the mystery for better or for worse.
IDLs: Brandon Dorlus, Da'Shawn Hand, Maason Smith, Zach Harrison, LaCale London (5)
In a weird way, the defensive tackle rotation feels the most set in stone barring a late free agent signing. Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison are two cornerstones of this defensive line, and Da'Shawn Hand and Maason Smith are set to take the roles vacated by David Onyemata and Ruke Orhorhoro.
And then that final spot will come down to a few names: Anterio Thompson, Carlos Allen Jr., Ross Blacklock, Chris Williams, and LaCale London. Of these names, London broke out last year and the front office went out of their way to re-sign him, so the final DT spot should be his to lose, especially with Thompson on the non-football injury list.
LBs: Divine Deablo, Christian Harris, Kendal Daniels, Harold Perkins Jr., Troy Andersen (5)
I know it's hard to get behind the Falcons rostering this many linebackers when Walker will also play linebacker, but this will be one of the toughest positions for the coaching staff to whittle down. But that's mainly because it's the position group that has enjoyed the most turnover this offseason.
New green dot Divine Deablo will lead the pack, and Christian Harris currently looks like the frontrunner to start next to him. Then from there we have the two promising rookies in Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. and both of them should have the inside track to remain on the roster.
And from there, one final spot will come down to Troy Andersen, Channing Tindall, and JD Bertrand--and given how Bertrand fared as a starter in Deablo's absence, it seems like Ulbrich is ready to cut bait. So this will come down to if Andersen can stay healthy, because if he can, he beats out Tindall.
CBs: A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Avieon Terrell, Billy Bowman Jr., Darnay Holmes, Clark Phillips III (6)
For as thin as the Falcons' cornerback room may be, they have a lot of options to make the roster. We already know that A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell, Mike Hughes, and Billy Bowman Jr. are going to stick around come Week 1, but the further we get down the depth chart, the more complicated it gets.
The Falcons signed Darnay Holmes in free agency, and he was one of their better perfomers in the secondary during minicamp. However, his roster spot is far from guaranteed, as C.J. Henderson, Cobee Bryant, Clark Phillips III, and Natrone Brooks are also competing to remain on the roster.
Henderson and Bryant feel like camp bodies who will spend time on the practice squad, and though Phillips didn't see much action last season, it wasn't long ago that he was once considered one of the best long-term pieces in this secondary--so the upside is much higher in retaining him and Holmes.
S: Xavier Watts, Jessie Bates, Sydney Brown, DeMarcco Hellams (4)
The Falcons have the NFL's best safety tandem in Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. However, they also brought in Sydney Brown via trade, and he should be the third safety on the field (and sometimes line up in the nickel) due to his high-level athleticism.
Based off that alone, you'd think the Falcons can cap things at three safeties, but DeMarcco Hellams is a viable special teamer who has struggled to stay healthy. So as long as he stays on the field, he could be a solid depth DB in Atlanta.
Special Teams: Nick Folk, Jake Bailey, Liam McCullough (3)
The Falcons revamped their entire special teams core under new special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman. They signed the ageless wonder Nick Folk to be their new starting kicker and Jake Bailey to be their new punter. That's not changing. And Liam McCullough will remain the long snapper.
Add us as a preferred source on Google