FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons open the 2021 regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 12 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons finished 2020 with a 4-12 record, last in the NFC South.
A week before the final roster cutdown, head coach Arthur Smith said he was comfortable with a little more than a third of the roster they have -- not a total surprise considering it's his first year with the team and the amount of new faces they have. It's a team with high-end top-level guys such as Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley and Grady Jarrett, but a combination of a new regime and salary cap issues have hamstrung Atlanta's depth. Much of the season depends on those high-level players getting through healthy and Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot making the right calls on players both with this cutdown and moves they make following it.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Matt Ryan, Josh Rosen, Feleipe Franks
AJ McCarron's torn right ACL complicated matters here and potentially means the Falcons would keep three quarterbacks heading into Week 1 to have more assurances Rosen -- or another quarterback if the team makes a post-cutdown move -- has time to learn more of the playbook. Franks has shown potential, but it's the unknown that keeps him on the roster for now. Rosen came into Sunday with less than a week on the Falcons. Arthur Smith gave him the whole second half to show himself and he might have given Smith enough to give him a longer look. But after the preseason, it's possible the No. 2 quarterback is yet to be on the roster.
RUNNING BACK (4): Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Qadree Ollison, Caleb Huntley
The question for the Falcons will probably be Huntley or D'Onta Foreman as the fourth back. Huntley runs with good power. Foreman is a veteran who has shown some of what he can do in camp. The surprise here was the team waiving Javian Hawkins before final cutdowns as he'd shown a different level of speed than some of the other backs.
FULLBACK (1): Keith Smith
How much Smith gets used in the offense might vary by the week, but he's a core special teams player and that helps on many levels.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage Jr., Olamide Zaccheaus, Tajae Sharpe, Christian Blake
The top three -- and likely four -- receivers here are set. The franchise seems to really like Blake, who has gotten a lot of run with the first team during practice situations. The toughest cut was Chris Rowland, who has been in a punt return competition with Avery Williams. Initially planned on keeping six receivers (or four tight ends -- more on that below), but Atlanta's complicated backup quarterback situation forced three quarterbacks there, meaning making room elsewhere. Entirely possible Rowland sticks. Frank Darby, the team's sixth round draft pick, could end up on the practice squad if he doesn't make the 53-man roster. Juwan Green could be a surprise, too.
TIGHT END (3): Kyle Pitts, Hayden Hurst, Lee Smith
These three feel like locks. The question is whether Atlanta keeps four tight ends, in which case John Raine and Parker Hesse could get a shot -- in my opinion Raine over Hesse. Raine has had a good camp and does offer position flexibility to line up in the backfield as a fullback, too. He could sneak on the roster.
OFFENSIVE LINE (8): Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom, Matt Hennessy, Josh Andrews, Kaleb McGary, Jalen Mayfield, Drew Dalman, Willie Beavers
The Falcons have been cross-training Mayfield inside and outside and working Dalman at both guard and center, which could signify trying to go a little light on the line. Matt Gono is all but certain to head to the PUP list to start the season, so he wouldn't count on the 53-man roster. If Atlanta decides to go nine players deep here, tackle Jason Spriggs would seem to be the guy in the conversation.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Grady Jarrett, Tyeler Davison, Marlon Davidson, Jonathan Bullard, Ta'Quon Graham, John Cominsky
Bullard has been one of the surprises of camp, seeing a good amount of work with the No. 1 group during practices. Some of that might be due to injuries to Davidson and Cominsky, but he has been there for a while. Especially with questions at other spots and versatility with some of the team's outside linebackers, tough to see them keeping more than six. But a player like a Zac Dawe could end up on the practice squad.
EDGE RUSHER/OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Dante Fowler Jr., Steven Means, Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Brandon Copeland
These five have continuously worked in a rotation with the top unit. Ogundeji put together a nice camp as a rookie to put himself in position to have a decent role in his first year. Positional flexibility is key here. Fowler, Means and Tuioti-Mariner can play with their hands in the ground, Copeland can play any of the linebacker spots, and both Tuioti-Mariner and Copeland are core special teams players.
LINEBACKER (4): Deion Jones, Foyesade Oluokun, Mykal Walker, Dorian Etheridge
Jones and Oluokun are core players, and Walker is a versatile piece who should see a lot of work. Etheridge, an undrafted rookie from Louisville, stood out on a daily basis and made an impact in the first preseason game against Tennessee. Erroll Thompson, an undrafted rookie from Mississippi State, is also worthy of consideration here. He and Etheridge have been consistently around the ball all camp long. This could be one of the toughest calls for Atlanta, along with veteran Emmanuel Ellerbe. Don't be surprised to see all three stick with the Falcons between practice squad and the 53-man roster.
CORNERBACK (7): A.J. Terrell, Fabian Moreau, Isaiah Oliver, Chris Williamson, T.J. Green, Darren Hall, Avery Williams
Terrell, Moreau and Oliver are the three starters in nickel packages. Williamson had a strong training camp, and Green provides positional versatility as a corner and safety - he cross-trained at both during camp. Williams could end up being the team's punt returner. Hall started to find footing midway through camp and as a fourth-round pick was always going to be a developmental player. The question here is Kendall Sheffield, who hasn't practiced in weeks. He could still stick on the roster.
SAFETIES (4): Duron Harmon, Erik Harris, Richie Grant, Jaylinn Hawkins
This is a pretty locked-in group. While Dwayne Johnson Jr. and J.R. Pace have both shown potential in camp, they both seem destined for a potential practice squad at least to start the season. Green can pitch in as a safety in an emergency, which helps matters as well.
SPECIALISTS (3): Younghoe Koo (kicker); Dom Maggio (punter); Josh Harris (long-snapper)
Koo and Harris are in. Maggio should beat out Cameron Nizialek, but it's a competition the Falcons took to the end of camp.