The NFL Draft is over, and there’s a lot of roster building to talk about now. Before we dive into the undrafted free agent class, how good this roster can actually be, and what remains to be done, let’s take a moment to consider likely starting lineups for 2026.
The usual caveats apply: We only know what we know here in late April, injuries will become a factor at some point, etc. Given what we do know, here’s a projected starting lineup for the Falcons.
Offense
QB: Tua Tagovailoa
RB: Bijan Robinson
WR1: Drake
London
WR2: Jahan Dotson
WR3: Zachariah Branch
TE1: Kyle Pitts
TE2: Austin Hooper
LT: Jake Matthews
LG: Matthew Bergeron
C: Ryan Neuzil
RG: Chris Lindstrom
RT: Jawaan Taylor
I’m assuming at the moment that Tua, by dint of being healthy, will be the Week 1 starter. In a totally even competition between a healthy Michael Penix Jr. and Tua, I take Penix every time. I just still don’t know if a completely healthy Penix is what we’re going to get heading into the summer.
Dotson’s contract and the team’s clear regard for him suggests he’ll be opposite London, and I see no reason to assume otherwise unless we get new additions to the receiving corps.
Otherwise, I don’t think there’s many surprises here. In three receiver sets, I expect Branch to start over Olamide Zaccheaus, with Hooper joining Pitts in the starting lineup for two tight end sets. With the Falcons choosing not to draft any tackles early, Taylor is locked in as your starting right tackle, while the other four starters on the line remain the same as a year ago.
This is an offense with quite a bit of continuity and a few standout players who should be dominant. The question, as it so often has been in recent years, is whether the Falcons have good enough quarterback play to take advantage of those advantages.
Defense
DL: Zach Harrison, Maason Smith, Brandon Dorlus
OLB/EDGE: Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr.
ILB: Divine Deablo, Kendal Daniels
CB: A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell, Billy Bowman Jr.
S: Jessie Bates, Xavier Watts
This is a fun, pretty young defense. The rotation up front will be heavy enough that nominal starters are not all that important, but Harrison and Dorlus are impact talents and Smith is someone the Falcons clearly plan to make heavy use of. Da’Shawn Hand, LaCale London, and Chris Williams also should be heavily involved, while rookie Anterio Thompson will get his chances.
Pearce seems very unlikely to play the entire season, so expect Samson Ebukam to be the de factor starter while he’s out. My only big swing on this side of the ball is at inside linebacker, where I’m expecting Daniels to win the starting job over Christian Harris in a battle that should go to the end of the summer.
Otherwise, the only real question marks concern health; Billy Bowman Jr. may not be starting if he’s not recovered, for example. But we have a pretty good idea of who is going to be starting, and it’s largely young players with real upside, which makes this an intriguing year for the Falcons defense.
Special teams
K: Nick Folk
P: Jake Bailey
LS: Liam McCullough
KR: Deven Thompkins
PR: Zachariah Branch
Don’t look now, but McCullough is now the seasoned old man of this special teams group, as the Falcons have a new kicker, punter, and potentially new returners. I expect Branch to handle punt return duties based on his success in college, but kick returner is really more of an open question. I’m penciling in Thompkins, who did solid work returning kicks last year, until someone else emerges or we get more clarity as to who will be competing.
Essentially, you’re looking at three rookie starters if this holds up, and a lineup with considerable promise and real youth. It’s also a lineup with question marks aplenty—do the Falcons have enough size and potency up front? will they have Pearce for most of the season? is this quarterback room going to drag them down?—and we’ll want to see how things come together this summer before we project another middling season. But if you’re an optimistic sort, you can fall in love with the potential here.
Now that you’ve seen these projections, are there any positions where you’d offer different candidates?
