The New Faces to Watch for the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have a slew of new faces at Flowery Branch who will fill a lot of key roles. We take a look at some of the most important rookies and free agent signings.

New Atlanta Falcons side receiver Jahan Dotson was signed from the Philadelphia Eagles to fill a big role. | Scott Kennedy

The Atlanta Falcons cleaned house over the 2026 offseason, bringing in a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, a new general manager in Ian Cunningham, and even welcoming Matt Ryan back as the new president of football operations. 

With all of these changes in the coaching staff and front office, there is also plenty of turnover on the field. With Week 1 approaching fast and the roster outlook becoming clearer with every practice, here are some names and numbers Falcons fans should know before the 2026 season starts. 

Rookies: 

Avieon Terrell | No. 12

The Atlanta Falcons were thrilled when CB Avieon Terrell was still available for them in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. | Scott Kennedy

Terrell was the Falcons' first pick in the 2026 NFL draft in the second round, and will join his brother, star defensive back A.J. Terrell, in the Falcons' secondary. 

Like his older brother, Avieon enjoyed a successful career at Clemson University, where over three years he racked up 125 tackles, three interceptions, 25 pass breakups and five forced fumbles. This production has Terrell set to see the field early, but his role is still unknown.

Terrell is expected by some to immediately compete for the CB2 job with the likes of Mike Hughes, Cobee Bryant and C.J. Henderson. However, at just 5’10, 186 pounds, and with the departure of Dee Alford to the Buffalo Bills, others expect Terrell to start at the nickel role as Billy Bowman Jr. works his way back from an Achilles injury. 

Zachariah Branch | No. 17

The Atlanta Falcons drafted former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. | Scott Kennedy, Falcons Podcast

Branch was selected by the Falcons in the third round of the NFL draft out of the University of Georgia. A top-10 recruit out of high school, Branch transferred to Georgia after two years with the USC Trojans. 

What Branch lacks in size, standing just 5’8, 177 pounds, he makes up for with speed and agility. He led the Georgia Bulldog receiving room and finished the season with 81 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns. 

Branch will be joining a wide receiver room that, other than Drake London, struggled in 2025 and is looking to turn it around. Branch will be looking to do exactly that. A threat with the ball in his hands, the Falcons are expected to get Branch in a multitude of ways, including on kick and punt returns. Branch is expected to compete with another newcomer, Olamide Zaccheaus, for the starting slot receiver role. 

Kendall Daniels | No. 53

Daniels is a converted safety who now plays linebacker and stands at 6’5, 242 lbs. He is a tall linebacker who played four years at Oklahoma State before transferring to Oklahoma for his final year. He totaled 293 tackles and 31.5 tackles for loss in his five year colligate career. 

Daniels plays fast and has many similarities with his new teammate, Divine Diablo, and the pick is a clear effort by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to add depth and speed to the Falcons' linebacker room that struggled while Diablo was injured last season. 

Daniels will be fighting for snaps at linebacker with some other newcomers following the departure of Kaden Ellis to the Saints, but will likely find most of his year one snaps on special teams, where I expect him to be a key contributor. 

Free Agents: 

Tua Tagovailoa | No. 1

Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is in a battle for the starting spot on the Atlanta Falcons with Michael Penix Jr. | Scott Kennedy

Tagovailoa joins the Falcons after being released by the Miami Dolphins following the 2025-26 season. After signing a 212 million dollar extension with the Dolphins in 2024 that made him the 3rd highest paid quarterback in the league at the time, Tagovailoa struggled to stay healthy in the following two years, causing the Dolphins to release him. 

The Falcons signed Tagovailoa to a one-year $1.3 million contract and expect him to compete with fellow lefty Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in Week 11 last season. 

In Tagovailoa’s only fully healthy season, he led the league in passing with 4,624 yards, to go along with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He is not scared to push the ball down the field when he is in the game, but having only one healthy season in six years does not inspire a ton of confidence in a quarterback room that has struggled with consistency since the departure of Matt Ryan. 

Jahan Dotson | No. 4

Dotson, the former Eagles wide receiver, signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Falcons and is expected to fill the Darnell Mooney role, who is now on the New York Giants. Dotson, a former first-round pick and Super Bowl champion with the Eagles, is a field stretcher with elite speed. 

After being drafted by Washington in 2022, Dotson posted back-to-back 500-yard seasons before being traded to the Eagles before the 2022 season. With the Eagles, Dotson struggled for targets in an offense that ranked dead last in pass rate in 2024 and was bottom-ten in 2025. 

An offense that does not pass the ball much, paired with being behind two of the better wide receivers in the league in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, led to Dotson failing to surpass 40 targets the past two years. Now with the Falcons, Dotson will look to have a breakout year in 2026. 

Christian Harris | No. 45

Harris signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Falcons after spending his first four seasons with the Houston Texans. A 6-foot-2, 232 lb linebacker found early success with the Texans, including a 100+ tackle season in his sophomore campaign, but a calf injury before the 2024 season derailed his tenure there. He missed a majority of the 2024 season and fell out of the rotation in 2025. 

Now healthy and with some fresh scenery, Harris has emerged as the frontrunner to win a starting linebacker job next to Divine Deablo. Harris will be filling big shoes next to Deablo, following the departure of veteran leader and leading tackler Kaden Ellis. 

Brian Robinson Jr. | No. 15

Another B. Robinson will be joining the Falcons' backfield next to star running back Bijan Robinson. Brian Robinson Jr. signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal this offseason to come to Atlanta. 

Robinson Jr. joins the Falcons following a season where he sat behind another elite running back in Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. Last year, Robinson Jr. ran the ball 92 times for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Respectable numbers for a backup. Before that, he started for the Commanders for three years, where he tallied three straight 700-yard seasons. 

Robinson Jr. will be replacing fan-favorite Tyler Algeir, who signed a two-year, $12.25 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason. Robinson Jr.’s main job will be to be efficient and make sure Bijan Robinson does not have to take on too heavy a workload during the season. 

There are plenty of new faces in Atlanta, but these are the names and numbers of the players who will likely have the biggest impact on the 2026-27 season. 

Cunningham and Stefanski prioritized adding depth to positions of need through both the draft and free agency rather than going after big-name free agent signings. Moves that have the Falcons projected to have the second-most cap space for the 2027 offseason. 

With the new season approaching the horizon, Falcons fans can look forward to these names making an impact in Atlanta on Sundays. 

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