The Atlanta Falcons have completed their draft and signed several mid-sized sedans full of free agents, but it would be a stretch to suggest their work is complete. This team is set to use 2026 as an evaluation year, but they’d love to be competitive and even playoffs-level-frisky if things break their way, and that means going into the season with as few holes as possible makes plenty of sense.
The team should have about $10 million in cap space left to work with after signing their rookie class,
so they can keep a rainy day fund while signing a couple of affordable veterans to fill in key positions of need that remain after the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s four the Falcons ought to take a look at.
Tackle
Last year, the Falcons lost Kaleb McGary and Storm Norton before the season began, leaving Elijah Wilkinson to start the entire season. Weird tantrum on his way out and spate of penalties aside, Wilkinson did about as well as you could expect a third-string tackle to do and was at least durable, but this team doesn’t have a seasoned option like him around in 2026.
Instead, if Taylor ran into injury they have Norton (returning from injury), 2025 seventh round pick Jack Nelson, journeyman Andrew Steuber, and 2025 trade addition Mike Jerrell in addition to rookie undrafted free agent Riley Mahlman. Seventh round pick Ethan Onianwa could be in that mix but is widely expected to play guard for Atlanta, so what you have are a mix of unproven options, injury-related question marks, and holdovers from the Dwayne Ledford era.
Is it likely that the Falcons will lose both Taylor and Norton? Not for the full season the way they did with McGary and Norton a year ago. Is it possible? Yes, as is injury for an aging Jake Matthews, and it would be nice if the Falcons had options they felt confident in if that comes to pass.
Who’s out there? Joe Noteboom has played multiple positions in his career, has 36 games of starting experience in the NFL, and is consistently useful against the run with iffy pass protection the chief downside. Cornelius Lucas is older but has 59 NFL starts to his name and has fared well as a fill-in option numerous times in the past. Kelvin Beachum is likely to wait out the market and land a starting spot somewhere, but he would be a less affordable, much higher-upside swing tackle option in a dream scenario.
Defensive tackle
This is a group you could continue to add to indefinitely. The Falcons rotate heavily, and while they have a bunch of promising players and capable dudes, they don’t necessarily have the depth to weather losses. Zach Harrison and Brandon Dorlus are returning from injuries, LaCale London has dealt with injuries as well in his time in Atlanta, and Da’Shawn Hand landed on injured reserve for part of last year as well. The Falcons like Anterio Thompson, but I’m not sure they want him pressed into major snaps early in his rookie season.
Zacch Pickens, recently released by the Chiefs, would be an interesting choice as a capable rotational defensive tackle who got his start with Ian Cunningham’s Bears; most of the options out there are older guys who would be best in early down roles.
EDGE
The Falcons added a lot to this group in anticipation of losing James Pearce Jr.—and letting multiple players walk—and a totally healthy, available group with Pearce, Jalon Walker, Samson Ebukam, Azeez Ojulari, Bralen Trice, and Cameron Thomas is solid. Throw DeAngelo Malone in there if you like. Given that we’re looking at an inevitable Pearce suspension and real questions about whether Trice will ever suit up for Atlanta, there’s room for a signing here to take snaps early in the season.
The trick here is that unless Pearce is out all season, you probably don’t want a splash signing that will cost lots of money and crowd out the likes of Ebukam and Ojulari. Marcus Davenport (I know, I know) and Preston Smith would fit the bill as cheap, seasoned options, but there is plenty of talent out there right now if the Falcons do want to take a bigger swing. Free agency to this point suggests they probably won’t, though.
Wide receiver
I’m excited about the addition of Zachariah Branch and probably more bullish on Jahan Dotson than most. That said, the Falcons don’t have a proven WR2 on the roster, and their depth options beyond WR4 (Olamide Zaccheaus) are about the same as they were a year ago. It’s not an inspiring group, which may clue us in to why the Falcons brought aboard five undrafted free agent receivers.
I don’t think the Falcons are likely to make any significant investments in this group, but proven depth for that WR4/5 role is not out of the question. As is the case with EDGE, there’s actually plenty of talent out there, with Tim Patrick looking particularly intriguing as an affordable, experienced option with compelling size (6’5”, 210 pounds) and a track record of solid production.
