The Atlanta Falcons open the 2025 NFL regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
While the Falcons offense looks almost the same as last season, aside from Michael Penix Jr. now starting at quarterback and Kirk Cousins as the backup, the team's defense is deeper with several key position battles across the roster. Atlanta is expecting to get significant play this season from four rookies: edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., safety Xavier Watts and nickel corner Billy Bowman Jr. All could be starters by midseason.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Falcons:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Michael Penix Jr., Kirk Cousins, Easton Stick
The Falcons will probably carry three quarterbacks, especially since it's still a possibility Cousins could be traded. Atlanta did that last season before quickly dealing third-stringer Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers. Stick has made some great throws this summer, but it's unclear if he has had the consistency to make the Falcons trust him as the backup for Penix, who was injury-prone in college.
RUNNING BACKS (3): Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Nathan Carter
One of the best rooms in the entire NFL. Robinson has emerged as an elite running back and Allgeier could start for many teams. Carter, an undrafted rookie, gets the nod over Carlos Washington Jr., who has been out injured.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Casey Washington, KhaDarel Hodge, Jamal Agnew
Receiver has been one of the more difficult position groups to whittle down in Atlanta, with the likes of David Sills V, Dylan Drummond, Chris Blair and Jesse Matthews all having solid training camps. Washington has made enormous strides in his second season, while Hodge and Agnew stick because of their special teams contributions. Mooney (shoulder) has been out since the first practice of camp, but there is hope he returns by Week 1.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Kyle Pitts Sr., Charlie Woerner, Teagan Quitoriano
Quitoriano might have won himself a roster spot in the Falcons' second preseason game when he forced a fumble on a kick return and recovered it himself. Special teams performances can make or break players at the end of the roster. Quitoriano has also gotten more key reps in practice than veteran Feleipe Franks, who has made a case for himself with some highlight-reel catches.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (8): Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, Elijah Wilkinson, Jovaughn Gwyn, Kyle Hinton, Brandon Parker
Starting right tackle Kaleb McGary injured his leg in practice earlier this week and seems bound to start the season on injured reserve, as will his backup Storm Norton, who had ankle surgery Tuesday and will miss 6 to 8 weeks. The versatile Wilkinson replaced McGary at right tackle in practice and also started seven games at left guard for the Falcons in 2022. Parker is a reserve tackle who could be kept for depth.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8): David Onyemata, Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, Zach Harrison, Morgan Fox, Kentavius Street, Ta'Quon Graham, LaCale London
New defensive line coach Nate Ollie, formerly of the Houston Texans, has told his players that he only needs four consecutive plays out of them at a time. That means the Falcons will need depth and enough bodies in the trenches. Second-year players Orhorhoro and Dorlus have made major jumps in training camp after playing sparingly as rookies.
LINEBACKERS (10): Arnold Ebiketie, Leonard Floyd, James Pearce Jr., Jalon Walker, Bralen Trice, Khalid Kareem, Kaden Elliss, Divine Deablo, JD Bertrand, DeAngelo Malone
The Falcons have 30 fewer sacks than any team in the league since 2019, but there is finally hope going into 2025 in the form of rookies Pearce and Walker. Ebiketie was one of the best edge rushers in the NFL late last season, and Floyd, a free agent signing from the San Francisco 49ers, hasn't had fewer than 8.5 sacks since 2019. Malone gets the nod for his versatility -- he has played inside and on the edge this summer -- with the status of inside linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) still up in the air.
CORNERBACKS (5): A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Dee Alford, Billy Bowman Jr., Natrone Brooks
Alford, the incumbent, and Bowman, a rookie fourth-round pick, have been in a competition for the nickel corner spot all summer with neither having earned a major edge. Brooks, who can also return kicks, has had a ton of highlights, including several interceptions in practice and one in the preseason. Clark Phillips III (ribs), a roster mainstay the past two seasons, has missed a few weeks and his status is uncertain.
SAFETIES (4): Jessie Bates III, Jordan Fuller, Xavier Watts, DeMarcco Hellams
Fuller, a veteran free agent signing, won a Super Bowl with coach Raheem Morris with the Los Angeles Rams. He has been competing with Watts, the rookie third-round pick, for the other safety spot opposite Bates, one of the best in the league. Hellams, who missed last season with a high ankle sprain, is a hammer out there, one of the team's enforcers.
SPECIALISTS (3): Younghoe Koo, Bradley Pinion, Liam McCullough
There was a kicking competition early on with Koo and German-born international signing Lenny Krieg, but Koo's consistency and body of work are enough to win him the job. Krieg, a former soccer player with a huge leg, could remain in Atlanta as part of the International Player Pathway program. If Krieg gets through waivers after being cut, he can be signed to the practice squad without using one of the allocated 16 spots.