Free agency is hardly over yet, and Atlanta’s latest round of cap-clearing restructures suggests they still plan to be active. The fact that the signings have slowed makes it a good time to take a breather, figure out what Atlanta has accomplished to this point, and talk about what remains incomplete.
The Falcons have addressed a wider range of needs than I originally anticipated, largely by sticking to a series of affordable contracts that raise the floor of the team without tying Atlanta to long-term
deals. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue put Atlanta’s early free agency wave in the “neutral” bucket in her latest article, writing that Atlanta is trying to “get the most they can out of this roster with an eye on next season.” I’d say that’s a fair summary, and right now, I wouldn’t say they’ve done anything that makes me believe they can make a leap in 2026 unless the talent already on the roster truly blooms.
Remember that the have nots I outline here are not set in stone, and in fact I’d expect this front office to prioritize them between now and the end of April. This is, however, a status report for where we are today.
The Falcons have…
Taken care of their QB conundrum
Is Tua Tagovailoa my favorite quarterback option this cycle? No. Does he have one of the better track records of anyone available and plenty of experience, all for a veteran minimum contract? Yes. In light of that, my complaining is going to wait until problems arise on the field, with the caveat that I hope those problems do not arise.
Atlanta had to get a player they felt comfortable starting in 2026, given that Michael Penix Jr. is recovering from ACL surgery. They got a quarterback who led the NFL in completion percentage two years ago and yardage three years ago, and if there are real injury-related and performance-based warts here, they paid virtually nothing for someone who has been a starter in this league for six seasons. It’s a tough move to quibble with in light of that.
Rebuilt some decimated positions
Atlanta’s #2 wide receiver after the Darnell Mooney cut was Casey Washington. Jalon Walker was the only edge rusher on the roster who was not either A) facing felony charges or B) coming off two straight lost seasons. And their tight end group was Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner in a new offense, and undrafted free agent Josh Simon.
Those three groups were all trouble spots heading into free agency. None of them have been solved, per se, in the sense that Atlanta has not added enough talent to make us feel like those positions are now massive strengths. But given how decimated those groups were, just getting solid players in the door to avoid a potential fiasco is a small win.
Receiver now has Olamide Zaccheaus as your slot receiver if the team does not add another player, and Jahan Dotson as an intriguing but largely unproven option as the team’s #2/#3. They added players with a proven track record of solid pass rushing production with Azeez Ojulari and Samson Ebukam for cheap, with Cameron Thomas adding some run-stopping ability to the edge group along with (we hope) Bralen Trice. And they now have Austin Hooper back on board to allow them to run two tight end sets—a strong Kevin Stefanski/Tommy Rees preference—with two guys who can catch the ball.
Written out, it doesn’t sound impressive; it really isn’t that impressive. But for a team just looking to leave two really disappointing seasons behind and start putting together a playoff foundation, attacking needs on a budget is nothing to sneeze at.
Stacked depth
The Falcons lost David Onyemata, but have added multiple options up front to help them weather that loss with the re-signing of LaCale London and the additions of Chris Williams and Da’Shawn Hand. They let their outside linebacker group walk and may be without James Pearce Jr. for a long time, but as I said above, they’ve added Azeez Ojulari, Samson Ebukam, and Cameron Thomas to help make up for that.
They added an experienced, quality backup interior offensive lineman to address the shaky depth behind Ryan Neuzil. They added a couple of core special teamers, gave themselves multiple options at inside linebacker even if none of them are incredibly compelling, and added experience and competence to a depleted receiver group.
Almost across the board here, you’d love to see the Falcons add a promising young starter or higher-upside veteran. Regardless of whether they do that, Atlanta’s done a nice job of adding likely reserves who figure to be improvements over what they had in 2025. That can make a real difference in a long season.
The Falcons have not…
Figured out who is backing up Bijan Robinson
I don’t believe we’ll see the Falcons go into 2026 with Nate Carter and Carlos Washington as their second and third options at running back. I like both competing to be your third option/practice squad emergency option, but either one of them needing to take on a significant number of carries this season would fill me with real anxiety. Maybe they can do it! It’s not a bet I’d take.
I don’t think the Falcons will, either. Instead, a late day 2/early day 3 draft pick or one of the useful runners under 30 still out there would seem to be a reasonable option. I like the idea of taking a flier on Khalil Herbert, Dameon Pierce, or Hassan Haskins if the Falcons are feeling squeezed in terms of draft capital, but it’s critical to get somebody they’d feel good about in a feature role just in case the unthinkable happens.
Addressed cornerback
Technically, the Falcons have enough pieces here. A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes could start outside for you again, Billy Bowman Jr. is your nickel cornerback in place of Dee Alford, and Cobee Bryant, Natrone Brooks, Clark Phillips III, Mike Ford, and C.J. Henderson give you solid depth. They could dust their hands and move on here.
But I don’t think that’s necessarily a good idea. The position group, which had its depth exposed last year owing to injuries to Bowman and Hughes, got by for long stretches because Dee Alford was having a strong season playing outside and inside. Alford is now in Buffalo. In many ways, the state of the cornerback group reminds me a lot of my 2025 hobby horse at wide receiver, where the position looked strong at the top and weak depth-wise, and essentially collapsed when injuries, drama, and ineffective play forced the Falcons to turn to that depth.
Bowman is coming off a promising but uneven rookie season ended by injury, Hughes took a step back last year and missed five games, and nobody else has proven, high-end starting experience if injuries pile up. At least one really capable signing or draft pick—friend of the site Justin Melo points to San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson—would go a long way toward making me feel like this group has the talent and depth to weather a long season.
Put forth a plan at inside linebacker we feel great about
Jeff Ulbrich talked about it taking more than one player to replace Kaden Elliss, who promptly went back to the slimy Saints in free agency. The Falcons have indeed signed multiple linebackers, but they’re Troy Andersen (has played nine games in the past three seasons), Christian Harris (has four starts in the past two seasons), and Channing Tindall (primarily plays special teams). They may very well love Harris, but you cannot tell me this is a credible plan for the starting job next to Divine Deablo. Harris needs real competition, and Andersen’s health simply cannot be trusted at this point.
I suspect this is where some of the money the Falcons have been clearing is set to go. Logan Wilson, Lavonte David, Matt Milano, and Bobby Okereke are a few options out there; there probably isn’t an ideal option but there are ones who offer competition and starting upside. In an ideal scenario, Harris would be Deablo Lite, Andersen would return to health, and the Falcons would have the makings of a good group, but I don’t think they can count on that.
Figured out their third quarterback plan
I’m a lot happier about signing Tua Tagovailoa than I would be if the team had to trade for him; I’m even happier that the Falcons are paying him very little this year. If he bounces back in spectacular fashion this season, the team has a good problem figuring out what to do at quarterback in 2027. If he doesn’t, they’re not tied to him beyond this year.
But there is a reality with signing Tua when you already have Michael Penix Jr. on the roster: You need a third quarterback. I don’t mean it in the way we mean it most years, where in case of an emergency it would be nice to have a capable player. I mean they absolutely have to have one.
Why? Penix is coming off yet another major injury, and may or may not be totally healthy and comfortable enough to start early in the year. Tua has played all 17 games just once—last year he was benched, but nonetheless—and has a lengthy and concerning injury history of his own that includes multiple concussions. There’s a scenario in which Penix is not yet ready and Tua gets hurt while starting, and unfortunately I would not consider that scenario all that far-fetched.
You’re not going to get a terrific option given the role, but the Falcons either need to draft a young player they like and think could make a couple starts at the NFL level or scoop up Jeff Driskel, Hendon Hooker, Skylar Thompson, or old friend Easton Stick. Going with only two quarterbacks this year is not really an option, especially not with the expanded practice squad making it easy to carry one more.
