Atlanta Falcons Position Groups That Improved and Regressed This Offseason

While the Atlanta Falcons haven’t made many splashes this offseason, they’ve quietly added much-needed depth across several areas of the roster.

In some units, however, those additions may not be enough at this point, and they still aren’t at the level they were last year.

Falcons on SI takes a look at the position groups that have improved and regressed the most so far this offseason.

Improvements

Kicking Game

New Falcons kicker Nick Folk has served as the league's most accurate kicker over the past three seasons. | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Atlanta’s first step in resetting their kicking game came when they fired special teams coordinator Marquise Williams and replaced him with former Miami Dolphins special teams coach Craig Aukerman.

Serving as the Falcons’ longest-tenured coordinator despite the unit consistently struggling, Williams' departure only seemed like a matter of time.

Last season, the Falcons were tied for the third-most missed field goals in the NFL, cycling through three kickers, Younghoe Koo, John Parker Romo and Zane Gonzalez. Their inability to consistently convert was on full display, not only in the misses themselves but also bleeding into Atlanta's clock management and decision-making.

Things weren’t much different in 2024, as the Falcons had the second-lowest field goal percentage in the NFL.

But with the recent addition of free agent kicker Nick Folk, Aukerman’s new unit seems poised for a turnaround. The 41-year-old has been one of the league’s most accurate kickers over the past three seasons, somehow managing to improve as his career advances. Last season, he led the NFL with a 96.6% field-goal conversion rate while playing for the New York Jets.

Tight Ends

Former New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper should add some helpful depth to Atlanta's tight end room. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With starting tight end Kyle Pitts silencing critics after earning Second-Team All-Pro honors while hauling in a career-high 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns, the Falcons added depth at the position by reuniting with veteran Austin Hooper.

Hooper joins offensive tackle Jake Matthews as the only remaining players from the Falcons’ Super Bowl LI roster, where he caught a 19-yard touchdown during Atlanta's 34-28 loss to the New England Patriots. His best season came in 2019, when he earned Pro Bowl honors after catching 75 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns.

While he did not log enough snaps to qualify for an official ranking this season, Hooper graded out as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-highest graded run-blocking tight end and seventh-highest graded tight end overall during the 2024 season.

The 10-year veteran appeared in 16 games in 2025, making six starts while helping the New England Patriots reach the Super Bowl. He finished the year with 21 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns.

Pitts’ development as a pass-catcher is encouraging, but he’s still not someone you can rely on to consistently handle key blocking assignments.

Adding a strong, willing blocker like Hooper could give Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees’ offense another dimension, allowing them to roll out more 12 personnel and attack defenses through intermediate play-action concepts.

Regressions

Defensive Tackle

It’s not like they haven’t made an effort to address the position this offseason, but it may not be enough, at least not yet, to keep them at the level they reached last year.

Last season, former starting defensive tackle David Onyemata was Pro Football Focus’ eighth-highest graded interior defensive lineman and their third-best available free agent at the position. He started all 17 games for Atlanta, serving as one of the unit’s most consistent and reliable contributors.

He started all 17 games, finishing third on the team with seven tackles for loss while totaling 42 solo tackles, the ninth-most among NFL interior defensive linemen.

The Falcons’ most notable move at the position so far has been the signing of defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand, who started a career-high 13 games for the Los Angeles Chargers last season, totaling 29 tackles and five tackles for loss. They also added Chris Williams, who recorded 14 tackles and a sack in 14 games with the Chicago Bears.

While both players should provide valuable depth, neither graded above replacement level last season, leaving Atlanta with a clear need to address the position as free agency continues and the NFL Draft approaches.

A helpful internal move came with the re-signing of LaCale London, who started five games and finished fourth on the team with five sacks.

Similar to defensive tackle, Atlanta’s recent efforts to retool and replace the position don’t seem to have been enough at this point in the offseason.

Linebackers

After serving as Atlanta's leading tackler in each of the past three seasons, Kaden Elliss will be returning to the Saints. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Falcons lost their defensive centerpiece in linebacker Kaden Elliss, who signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the New Orleans Saints after leading Atlanta in tackles in each of the past three seasons.

Last season, Elliss recorded 107 combined tackles, along with an interception, a forced fumble and 10 tackles for loss. His best season came in 2024, when he totaled 158 tackles, the fifth-most in the NFL, while adding an interception and eight tackles for loss.

Recent free agent signee Christian Harris has shown enough potential to be viewed as a candidate to help fill the void, but injuries have limited him to just 15 games over the past two seasons.

His best NFL season came in 2023, when he led the Houston Texans with 65 solo tackles while totaling 101 combined tackles.

Atlanta also added former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Channing Tindall, who has yet to carve out a consistent role on defense early in his career but should bring value on special teams.

Divine Deablo should serve as the Falcons' primary run-stopper barring any major changes throughout the offseason. Despite missing four games last season while on injured reserve with a broken forearm, he still totaled 73 tackles and five tackles for loss.