The Atlanta Falcons are a day away from kicking off the preseason against the Denver Broncos, and the anticipation is reaching an all-time high. Kevin Stefanski will be coaching his first game with the Falcons, so Mercedes-Benz Stadium better be rocking--even if the starters will not play for very long.
With the Falcons' preseason opener right around the corner, they just released their first unofficial depth chart of the offseason. Training camp has helped some players, hurt some others, while in reality it just made the roster bubble look a whole lot clearer--though the preseason will create chaos.
And since the first unofficial depth chart has been released, let's go over the biggest takeaways
The biggest observations from the Atlanta Falcons' first unofficial depth chart
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa | Cooper Rush | Jack Strand | Michael Penix Jr.*
The quarterback depth chart looks surprising upon first glance, but there's a caveat. As we all know, Tua Tagovailoa is set to take his first in-game snaps in Atlanta as he'll draw the start on Friday night, and is likely to start Week 1 too.
The QB rotation is very in line with what Stefanski said. He said Cooper Rush would come in after Tua and Jack Strand after that. The Falcons are gonna trust the experienced vet over the undrafted rookie, but the competition for the QB3 role is still very much in full force.
And then there's the elephant in the room. Michael Penix Jr. hasn't been cleared for full contact yet so he's at the bottom, so if he were healthy, I would imagine that QB1 spot would be him "OR" Tagovailoa.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson | Brian Robinson Jr. | Tyler Goodson | Nate Carter | Cash Jones | Trey Sermon
Tyler Goodson has been having a strong summer, and he'll offer the Dirty Birds special teams value, so him leaping Carter was expected. He had a long touchdown during Wednesday's practice and Goodson is putting himself in the driver's seat to make the roster.
Wide Receiver
Drake London | Jahan Dotson | Olamide Zaccheus | Zachariah Branch | Chris Blair | Dylan Drummond | Juice Wells | Vinny Anthony II | Keelan Marion
The top four in this receiver room are expected, but the starting slot is the real point of contention. Olamide Zaccheus has been getting more reps, but Zachariah Branch will force his way onto the field sooner rather than later. I can only imagine he's listed with the 2s due to the rookie treatment.
Then the other question is about the battle for the WR5 and WR6 positions. Chris Blair has started to pull away, as he's been one of the standouts of training camp, and Dylan Drummond has the experience advantage, but Juice Wells Jr. and Vinny Anthony II have an audition to change this.
Tight End
Kyle Pitts | Austin Hooper | Jack Velling
Charlie Woerner | Joshua Simon | Nick Muse
Although he isn't listed as a starter, Austin Hooper will see the field quite often for the Falcons. The Falcons will have multiple tight ends on the field frequently, and is probably the most established pass-catcher in this TE room not named Kyle Pitts. And this confirmed Velling's chances aren't great.
Because of the amount they'll run 12 or 13 personnel, of course Charlie Woerner is listed as a starter despite a short stint as a cut candidate. He started last year--and is a great blocker. Outside of him, Pitts, and Hooper, it's hard to imagine the Falcons having the room on the roster for anyone else.
Left Tackle
Jake Matthews | Wanya Morris | Riley Mahlman
No surprises here. The Iron Man's job is secure and Wanya Morris was brought in to back him up. Meanwhile, Riley Mahlman is on the wrwong side of the roster bubble.
Left Guard
Matthew Bergeron | Kyle Hinton | Andrew Stueber | Layden Robinson
Another position with no real surprises. Kyle Hinton was solid in Matthew Bergeron's absence last year and has been his main backup. The question is if Andrew Stueber or Layden Robinson can crack the roster, but I doubt it.
Center
Ryan Neuzil | Corey Levin | James Brockermeyer
James Brockermeyer was getting buzz as someone who could flip the center rotation on its head, but he's still with the third-team offense. Corey Levin has the experience advantage and a past playing for Bill Callahan, but the preseason is a prime chance for him to rise up the depth chart.
Unfortunately, Ryan Neuzil's job seems to be safe (at least for now).
Right Guard
Chris Lindstrom | Layden Robinson | Kam Dewberry
No surprises here. You have a multi-time All-Pro in the starting lineup, and it's all about whether Kam Dewberry can overtake Layden Robinson to back Chris Lindstrom up.
Right Tackle
Michael Jerrell | Brandon Walton | Ethan Onianwa | Jawaan Taylor*
This is the one area to take with a grain of salt. Jawaan Taylor is the starter, but he was just activated off the PUP list and just started taking part in team periods again. In his absence, Michael Jerrell started out getting more first-team reps, but Ethan Onianwa did more starting work in recent days.
It's a surprise to see the seventh-round rookie behind both Jerrell and Brandon Walton, since he's seemingly performed better than both of them.
Edge Rusher
Cameron Thomas | Azeez Ojulari | James Pearce Jr. | Keshawn Banks
Brandon Dorlus | Samson Ebukam | Bralen Trice | Cam Sample
Cameron Thomas has become a full-time starter (over Azeez Ojulari) since Jalon Walker went down, which has confirmed the fact that he'll have a roster spot in a few weeks. And while they're both going to have to play key roles, Stefanski has more trust in the guy he previously coached.
It also seems like the Falcons are expecting a lengthy suspension for James Pearce Jr. since he's spent most of the summer with the reserves.
I guess the Falcons are planning to be creative with Brandon Dorlus' usage. He'll get snaps at defensive tackle but also off the edge without Walker. From there, Bralen Trice has had a good summer, but it's hard for Atlanta to trust him given his lack of NFL experience.
Defensive Tackle
Maason Smith | Zach Harrison
Da'Shawn Hand | Devonnsha Maxwell | Marlon Tuipolotu
LaCale London | Chris Williams | Carlos Allen Jr.
Zach Harrison was just activated off the reserve/NFI list, and he should re-claim his starting spot once he returns to practice fully. Despite the strong competition he'll face from Harrison and Hand, Maason Smith still feels like the starting nose tackle.
Da'Shawn Hand was never not starting, and I wouldn't call either of the players behind him roster threats unless they set the world on fire in the preseason.
La'Cale London is line to play a key role in Atlanta, and Chris Williams has had a strong summer as well. However, this all boils down to where Brandon Dorlus starts, which is starting to become clear that it won't be at DT--so this spot could be Harrison's.
Inside linebacker
Divine Deablo | Kendal Daniels | Josh Woods | Channing Tindall
Christian Harris | Harold Perkins Jr. | JD Bertrand | Daveren Rayner
It's gonna be interesting to see how things play out with the linebacker depth. Kendal Daniels has been starting to take first-team reps with Divine Deablo injured, but as expected, he'll start off as a backup.
I thought the Troy Andersen release would bode well for Channing Tindall, but his chances of making the roster are much slimmer than we realize. It seems like he's facing stiff competition from both Josh Woods and JD Bertrand.
For all the talk that Christian Harris lost his grip on the Falcons' LB2 job, here he is. Still with the first-team and still the frontrunner to start next to Divine Deablo. But Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. are coming for his job--which I still expect to happen at some poing in 2026.
Cornerback
A.J Terrell | C.J. Henderson | Cobee Bryant | Jammie Robinson
Mike Hughes | Clark Phillips III | C.J. Henderson | Malcolm DeWalt V
The question about the Atlanta Falcons' cornerback room has been who will step up behind A.J. Terrell. C.J. Henderson has had a good summer, and I like his chances of beating out Cobee Bryant for a roster spot.
But for all the trade speculation and talk of the Falcons slowly fizzling Mike Hughes out of the lineup sure looks silly now. He's been a starter next to Terrell all offseason, and that isn't changing.
Nickel Corner
Darnay Holmes | Avieon Terrell | A.J. Woods | Mike Ford Jr.
Not having Avieon Terrell listed on the outside cornerback depth chart as well feels a bit silly, but I digress. This coaching staff has talked all about Terrell's versatility and how they want to use him on both the inside and out, but they went back on that, like with the Sydney Brown nickel experiment.
With Billy Bowman Jr. sidelined, Holmes is the current favorite to start in the nickel, but it'll be interesting to see if the incumbent can fend off a late push from Terrell to hold on. It's not ideal to see Avieon be on the bench for Holmes, but this competition is far from over.
Free Safety
Xavier Watts | Sydney Brown | Natrone Brooks
Like I mentioned, Sydney Brown got a lot of run in the nickel for someone who the Falcons aren't planning to use there. He and Brooks have all of this versatility, but Brown can be used as a lot more than the third safety behind Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates.
Strong Safety
Jessie Bates III | DeMarcco Hellams | Darren Hall
DeMarcco Hellams has started in Bates' absence, but he also hasn't had much resistance from Hall. It's pretty weird to see Jammie Robinson be listed as a cornerback and not a safety because of that.
Kicker
Nick Folk
Punter
Jake Bailey | Matthew Hayball
This is Jake Bailey's job to lose. He has the connection to Craig Aukerman (and Nick Folk), so Hayball is more likely to be a recipient of the extra spot on the practice squad due to the international pathway program.
Long Snapper
Liam McCullough
Kick Returner
Brian Robinson Jr. | Tyler Goodson | Olamide Zaccheus | Zachariah Branch
Brian Robinson Jr. has been doing a lot of work with the kick returners this summer, and is actually a plus in that area. I know everyone was expecting this to be Branch, but we'll get to that. B-Rob averaged 29.1 yards per kick return last year in San Francisco, so save the rookie for punt returns.
Having Goodson and Robinson out there in the kick return game is good for special teams, but how good is it for the RB room behind Bijan Robinson? And having this many starters or potential starters play special teams could become a slipery slope.
Not having Vinny Anthony II or Keelan Marion up here at all is foolish, but Zaccheus and Goodson are valuable on special teams. These guys will have to prove themselves in the preseason.
Punt Returner
Zachariah Branch | Olamide Zaccheus | Dylan Drummond | Jahan Dotson
Zachariah Branch was always going to be the main punt returner, so this was never in doubt. He'll be a rotational receiver and special teamer, so the Falcons will keep the rookie fresh.
Same with the kick returners, I'm not sure if I agree with no Marion. It's a bit careless to have three of your four best receivers on the punt return list, especially when good return men are easy to find.
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