The 2025 preseason is in the books, and if there’s one thing we learned, it’s this: the Falcons are built on a razor-thin margin of error. Between brutal injury luck, heavy reliance on first-year starters, and a roster constructed on calculated risks, this team isn’t entering the season with answers; it’s entering with questions.
However, this preseason, we have seen flashes. We have seen potential. We have seen upside. There are reasons for hope, because, of course, there are.
Here are the five biggest
takeaways from Atlanta’s preseason slate.
1) Thin Margins of Error
The Falcons were already built on a knife’s edge, and the preseason made that reality impossible to ignore, especially along the offensive line. When looking at the depth behind the starting unit, the drop-off was immediate and obvious.
This offense didn’t get many upgrades over last year’s unit. The front office pushed its chips in on a youth movement on defense, which left the offense to rely on natural continuity in year two of Zac Robinson’s system, and inputting first-year starter Michael Penix, Jr. for any tangible improvement on that side of the ball. It’s a fine plan, but Atlanta’s injury luck last year was incredible, especially along the offensive line. Outside of Drew Dalman, who is no longer on the roster, all four of the other pieces on the line played 90% or more of the offensive snaps in 2024. That’s a tough mark to replicate.
Now, Michael Penix Jr.’s blindside is being protected by third-string swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson. For a first-year starter who isn’t exactly known for mobility, that’s a nightmare scenario. If Penix is forced to create off-script while also settling into Zac Robinson’s offense, the ceiling of this unit takes a hit, and the offense is supposed to be the steadying force of this roster.
2) The Rookies aren’t just Depth, they’re Core Pieces
Five draft picks. Five roster spots. Zero redshirts.
Every single member of the Falcons’ 2025 rookie class made the initial 53, and four of them – Jalon Walker, James Pearce, Jr., Xavier Watts, and Billy Bowman – are expected to play real snaps immediately.
That’s not just a fun storyline; that’s a structural reality.
Watts’ ability to get his hands on the football? Necessary. Bowman’s attitude in the run and pass game? Necessary. Walker and Pearce Jr.‘s ability to get to the passer? You already know that’s necessary. The Falcons are counting on all of them to hit now. If the class delivers immediately? The ceiling of this defense rises immensely. If they fail, the floor falls out from under this defense.
This isn’t a slow build. This is a baptism by fire.
3) Kyle Pitts is about to have a Career-Defining Season
Call it an audition. Call it a last stand. Call it whatever you want, but Kyle Pitts will have his chance to be featured in 2025 in year two under offensive coordinator Robinson. They have the first two options in the passing game wrapped up with Drake London and Darnell Mooney (who is suddenly on track to be ready for week 1?), giving Pitts a clear runway to be the matchup nightmare he was drafted to be. The second year under Robinson should give Pitts more isolation chances, cleaner looks from both in-line and out wide, and more red zone opportunities than we’ve seen from him in years.
The biggest question isn’t just whether Pitts can produce, it’s whether he’ll still be doing it in Atlanta after this season. For now, Atlanta has a chance to find out who Pitts really is this season, and do so with all the eyes on this offense.
4) Expect Chaos Up Front on Defense
This Falcons defense is going to look much different than last year’s, and that is an improvement in itself. However, one of the main differences is the variety of bodies and looks that will occur on the defensive line, especially in the pass rush department.
Bralen Trice (who is going to be out a bit, unfortunately), Arnold Ebiketie, Leonard Floyd, James Pearce, Jr., Jalon Walker. They all bring something different to the EDGE position. Some win with raw speed, some win with pure effort, others with leverage, and others with hand counters and power. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has a rotating toolbox of pass rushers, and proper implementation of these tools will be the deciding factor of whether the Falcons can finally claim to have a consistent pass rush again.
Over five years and four different defensive coordinators, Atlanta has invested time, draft picks, and money to assemble a rotation of talent designed to morph into an intimidating pass rush. Now, it’s time to turn this versatility into production.
5) Hope Springs Eternal (Whether it Should or Not)
And here we are again, the place Falcons fans always seem to end up: Staring at a roster full of flaws, knowing better, and hoping anyway.
Because yes, Michael Penix Jr. is a first-year starter. And yes, his blind side might be protected by a third-string right tackle. And yes, the defense feels more like an amalgamation of theoretical parts than a finished product. And yes, the receiver depth after the top three is, well, charitable to call “thin.”
But none of it matters yet. Not today. Not before Week 1. Hope refuses to die, no matter how many times it probably should’ve by now. That’s the curse, and maybe also a bit of the magic, of being a Falcons fan.
The Falcons are walking into 2025 with a roster built on potential, and potential cuts both ways. If the rookies hit, if the line holds, if the defense gels, this team can make a lot of noise. But if even one domino tips the wrong way, Atlanta’s season could get messy fast.
Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first real measuring stick. Until then, hope lives on, because it always does.
