Falcons Projected Offensive Depth Chart After Early Days of Free Agency

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have made a flurry of moves over the early days of free agency, but nothing that will shake the ground at Flowery Branch. The moves have lacked a level of flair, but that does not render them insignificant.

The Falcons have added 12 new faces to their roster for next season, with offensive additions that have (thus far) included quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, tight end Austin Hooper, wide receivers Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus, and interior offensive lineman Corey Levin.

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The number is rather large, but the salary commitments are anything but. Of the reported agreements, only punter Jake Bailey and kicker Nick Folk signed multi-year contracts, and not a single deal carries an average annual value worth more than $3 million.

In other moves, the Falcons released wide receiver Darnell and quarterback Kirk Cousins. Add in the departures of linebacker Kaden Elliss, running back Tyler Allgeier, cornerback Dee Alford, and defensive lineman David Onyemata, and the conservative approach has seemingly moved the team backwards heading into the 2026 season.

Ian Cunningham’s desire to accumulate draft picks has delivered, but any future moves could still stand to cancel those out. These could prove quite valuable in what figures to be a loaded 2027 draft class, but it will not do them much good in 2026.

As far as what this season could look like, Falcons OnSI took a look ahead to see how the offensive depth chart could shake out in the regular season.

Quarterback

Starter – Michael Penix Jr. OR Tua Tagovailoa

Reserves – n/a

What’s next? – The Falcons will add another depth player to the quarterback room, along with some other players as camp bodies. The real story will be between Penix and the newly-added Tagovailoa. Those two will compete this summer for the starting job, which will be the first real quarterback competition at Falcons training camp since Matt Ryan was drafted back in 2008.

Wide Receiver

Starter – Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus

Reserves – Casey Washington, Dylan Drummond, Deven Thompkins, Chris Blair*

What’s Next – The starters are pretty well understood after the additions of Dotson and Zaccheaus. Atlanta parted with KhaDarel Hodge and Darnell Mooney in cost-cutting moves, so the draft will likely provide at least one more player to add to this room to complement London.

The Falcons do not have depth here, but the reserve players will be determined this summer from Washington (who made the team last year coming out of camp), Blair (signed to a future contract), Drummond, and Thompkins.

Running Back

Starter – Bijan Robinson

Reserves – Nathan Carter, Carlos Washington*

What’s Next – Bijan Robinson is the star of this team, but he will need a running mate. Tyler Allgeier departed in free agency, meaning they will need to find 150 touches in the draft or in free agency. While Nathan Carter won the third position on this team over Carlos Washington last summer, he did not get a lot of run in regular-season games. He could work to earn that position this year, but the Falcons will likely add some talent to this group.

Tight End

Starter – Kyle Pitts Sr., Charlie Woerner

Reserves – Austin Hooper, Joshua Simon*

What’s Next – The Falcons put the franchise tag on Pitts and added Hooper, meaning they will have three guys with NFL experience ready to play. Woerner could still be a cap casualty, but they would then need to replace him in the draft or in free agency with a cheaper player. Hooper is a good depth piece that would be ready to step in as a pass catcher. As of now, Atlanta will not have any tight ends for 2027 and beyond, so they could look to draft a developmental player this spring.

Offensive Tackle

Starter(s) – Jake Matthews, Kaleb McGary

Reserves – Storm Norton, Jack Nelson, Michael Jerrell

What’s Next – The offensive tackle room remains unchanged and will likely stay that way this year. Matthews and McGary are set to return in 2026, while Norton still has one more year left on his deal. Nelson, the former seventh-round draft pick from last season, will continue to develop and fight for their roster spot alongside Jerrell.

Interior Offensive Line

Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Starter(s) – Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom

Reserves – Corey Levin, Kyle Hinton, Andrew Steuber*

What’s Next – Similar to the tackles, this part of the offensive line remains largely unchanged. Bergeron could be due for an extension this offseason, while Lindstrom remains one of the highest-paid guards in the NFL. Neuzil is fresh off his first full season as the starting center, and if there were to be any potential for movement, it would be there.

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