The Atlanta Falcons have had the same set it and forget it CB1 for the last six seasons in A.J. Terrell. He's been one of the best and most reliable in the business all along. He's been someone who puts opposing WR1s on an island, and is good at taking them out of the game because of his status as an elite man-to-man corner.
However, Terrell has gradually started to become a liability in coverage. Last season was the first noticeable step on the regression ladder, and the start of 2026 has been more of the same. In the opener against the Steelers, he was outplayed both by Mike Hughes and his younger brother.
Not only did he allow three catches for 31 yards in the 20-13 loss, he was targeted five times-- a highly uncharacteristic number for an All-Pro cornerback. And he was also penalized twice, including a 37-yard defensive pass interference call while guarding Roman Wilson. Not DK Metcalf or Michael Pitman Jr.-- a guy who is the WR4 on Pittsburgh's depth chart.
There was one particular rep where his regression in coverage looked particularly bad. He was facing off with former Georgia star and Steelers' backup tight end Darnell Washington, who made him look foolish. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was watching Cobee Bryant and not a top-10 cornerback.
A.J. Terrell no longer looks like one of the NFL's most elite cornerbacks
According to Pro Football Focus, Terrell's 47.8 defensive grade in Week 1 ranked 67th out of 89 qualified cornerbacks, while his 46.3 coverage grade ranked 72nd of those 89. So at this point, he looked more like a bottom-10 cornerback in football last week compared to top-10 cornerback--and for all of the talk about Kevin Stefanski being willing to shake up, he certainly won't bench him.
I know it's hard to hate on such a consistent player after a one-game sample size, but he's coming off of an injury-riddled season and got hurt again in Week 1. So not only is this a lack of production issue, it's becoming a concern that he can't even stay healthy when he's under contract for two more years.
Unfortunately, everyone on the Falcons is blind to the problem the 27-year-old is presenting. According to the AJC's Daniel Flick, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called A.J. Terrell "the best boundary corner in the NFL, in my opinion" which is a wild endorsement when Pat Surtain exists.
At this point, it's worth questioning if Terrell is even an above average cornerback. If you asked me a year ago, I would've said maybe. But he'll make north of $25 million in each of the next two seasons, so unless he turns back the clock a bit, he could do more harm than good to this Atlanta secondary--even after restructuring his contract.
Now in Week 2 against the Panthers, the former Clemson standout's role is to lock down reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan--so if you thought Metcalf or Pittman gave him trouble, what do you think one of the brightest young receivers in football is gonna do to him?
It's not like A.J. Terrell's starting role is in any jeopardy, but he needs to get it together before he becomes the weak link of the defense.
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