What the Falcons' Week 1 snap counts say about this team's plans in 2026

Box scores tell you what happened. Snap counts tell you what a coaching staff actually believes. The Atlanta Falcons’ snap count allocation following their 20-13 loss in Pittsburgh to the Steelers gives insight beyond the podium as to what the staff is thinking.

Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s unit holding the Steelers offense to a measly 58 rushing yards on 21 attempts, 3-of-13 on third down, and 0-for-2 on fourth down starts with the defensive line’s efforts.

The Atlanta Falcons' defensive snap counts in Week 1 revealed a lot

Brandon Dorlus: 41 snaps (61% of total)
Gervon Dexter: 39 (58%)
Samson Ebukam: 39 (58%)
Maason Smith: 38 (57%)
LaCale London: 34 (51%)
Cameron Thomas: 34 (51%)
Jared Ivey: 18 (27%)
Za'Darius Smith: 16 (24%)
Bralen Trice: 14 (21%)
Da’Shawn Hand: 7 (10%)
Yasir Abdullah: 2 (3%)

Start with players who played less than half the snaps. A true rotation, it is worth noting that 10% from Da’Shawn Hand is out for the season after suffering a torn quad. Behind what we saw from Hand, recently signed waiver claim Yasir Abdullah is firmly planted as a special teams player and the “bottom” of the group, exactly what he was signed to do. The trio that played between 14-18 snaps has the most potential volatility.

The outlier is Za’Darius Smith. His two sacks on a limited workload leave some imagination to be determined. It makes total sense to ease Smith into the fold after his offseason. Smith stepped away from the NFL in October to be with his mother after learning she had a terminal illness and her passing away. His father and grandmother additionally dying this offseason is enough grief and time away to marvel that he is still playing at all. As far as being a situational pass rusher or an every-down player, if the 34-year-old keeps producing like Sunday, it's fair to wonder whether his share creeps up regardless of Cameron Thomas's standing as the starter.

Enough variance told us a clear pecking order in the wide receiver room, but WR3 and WR4 are yet to be determined.

The Atlanta Falcons' offensive snap counts

Drake London 60 snaps (98% of total)
Jahan Dotson 38 (62%)
Zachariah Branch 19 (31%)
Olamide Zacchaeus 18 (30%)
Chris Blair 10 (16%)

Rookie Zachariah Branch and veteran Olamide Zaccheaus split snaps, so don't be surprised if that 50-50 split starts tilting Branch’s direction as the season progresses. An even timeshare with a journeyman like Zaccheaus suggests the staff hasn't yet decided Branch is ready to pull away — or wants to ease him in behind a proven veteran before expanding his role. Given how much the coaching staff talked up Branch's scheme fit, speed, and playmaking ability over the summer, the third-round pick is destined for more than these snaps and starting on kick returns.

Lastly, let’s look at those rookies on defense. Veteran Divine Deablo is rightly the every-down anchor, Kendal Daniels is trusted in a significant role, and Harold Perkins Jr. is still working his way into a larger share as a rookie. If Perkins' snap percentage climbs over the coming weeks, that's a signal the staff is growing more comfortable turning the 6th round pick loose; if it stays flat, it likely means Atlanta prefers to bring him along gradually.

Divine Deablo 67 snaps (100% of total)
Kendal Daniels 45 (67%)
Harold Perkins Jr. 23 (34%)

Nickleback Avieon Terrell did not allow a catch and played very well in his debut. Even then, we saw some intention to ease him in by giving the start to Sydney Brown while the starter from last season, Billy Bowman Jr., works his way back from an Achilles injury.

Sydney Brown 29 snaps (43% of total)
Avieon Terrell 23 (34%)

The crucial Week 2 divisional matchup for the home opener versus the Carolina Panthers will add to the sample size of snap count answers to the four units seeking progressive answers.

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