The Atlanta Falcons' roster has their fair share of issues entering 2026 but the cornerback room is no longer one of them. New GM Ian Cunningham treated the secondary as a priority this offseason, although the Falcons didn't make any splash moves that'll shake up the DB room as we know it.
A.J. Terrell is still one of the league's more consistent cornerbacks, they drafted Avieon Terrell in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Billy Bowman Jr. was promising before he tore his Achilles. It's a youth movement of sorts within Atlanta's cornerback room, which badly needed a mini-overhaul.
When they drafted Terrell, the first question that popped into the heads of Falcons fans is what this means for Mike Hughes. Hughes was the starting boundary corner opposite the older Terrell brother last season, but is gradually losing his starting job and could get released before the summer ends.
Mike Hughes is in grave danger of losing his job with the Atlanta Falcons
The 29-year-old had a career year for the Dirty Birds in 2024, starting 15 games and recording the best tackle numbers of his career. He looked like someone who could step in as Atlanta's CB2 opposite Terrell, but unfortunately, 2025 was a major step backwards for the veteran cornerback.
The 2018 first-round pick was about as effective as a traffic cone in coverage last season. In just 12 starts before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury, Hughes allowed 37 receptions for 426 yards and surrendered two receiving touchdowns to Bucs' wideout Emeka Egbuka in the Falcons' Week 1 loss--and that was Egbuka's NFL debut. And he didn't get any better as the year progressed.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hughes' 58.6 PFF grade in 2025 ranked 72nd out of 114 qualified cornerbacks and his 59.8 coverage grade ranked 67th. For reference, his 71.9 PFF grade in 2024 ranked 23rd and his 71.4 coverage grade ranked 28th, so yeah, he isn't as reliable as he once was.
The 2018 first-round pick also has more competition than he did this time last year for hie job. Bowman, Terrelll, and potentially Sydney Brown will have a role, and then you have Cobee Bryant, Darnay Holmes, and Darren Hall as potential depth options. The CB room is just stronger overall.
The UCF product struggled on the boundary last season, so ideally he could be kicked inside to the nickel. But Bowman, Terrell, and Brown will compete to be the starting nickel corner most likely, and you don't want Hughes ot stunt the development of some of your most important young defenders.
Hughes isn't talented enough to be a CB2, but would be a quality nickel or depth cornerback for the Falcons. The only reason he hasn't been released yet is because Atlanta signed him to a three-year, $18 million extension last offseason, but there is be an out in his deal next spring that would come with just $1.7 million in dead cap. They may just be waiting wait a year to pull the rip cord.
Frankly, I would be surprised if he gets cut since he's better than the average CB3, but with the youth movement on defense, it's clear he doesn't fit into the long-term equation in Atlanta much longer.
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