Projecting the Falcon’s Week 1 Starters After the NFL Draft

The Atlanta Falcons have a much clearer picture of their roster and where the team stands heading into the 2026 season.

Including the slew of undrafted free agents added in the days after the NFL Draft, the Falcons’ roster sits right at the 90-player limit. That group will drop to just 53 (plus 16 practice squad players) before the regular season gets underway. The Falcons will likely make more changes between now and then, but the core of the team is now in place.

They still have a long way to go before any depth chart decisions become official, but the first wave of free agency and last weekend’s draft gave us a pretty good idea. Now that we have a better understanding of the roster makeup heading into the rookie minicamp and organized team activities in May, we can look ahead to who will be starting games for this franchise in Week 1.

Projected Atlanta Falcons Week 1 Starters

Quarterback

Starters: Tua Tagovailoa

The Falcons’ quarterback competition between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa will suck the oxygen out of the room this summer. Penix is still recovering from a torn ACL and is out for several more months with no established return date (we anticipate sometime this summer). As a result, Tagovailoa will have a major head start. Paired with his decisive experience advantage and the fact that he was the choice of the new regime, the writing is on the wall.

This is not to say that Penix is completely counted out, but he will need to take the job from the presumed favorite once he returns.

Running Back

Starters: Bijan Robinson

The Falcons have a clear pecking order in the running back room, led by Bijan Robinson. He is the best player on this team – maybe even the entire league.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus*

Zachariah Branch will likely begin pushing his way into the rotation as the season progresses, but the Falcons’ front-line starters for Week 1 are likely set. Drake London is the clear WR1 on this team, but Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus will be steady depth players alongside him.

It would not be surprising to see the Falcons add a fifth player to this group because there are still some jarring depth concerns at the wide receiver position.

Tight End

Starters: Kyle Pitts Sr., Austin Hooper*

The Falcons will likely run a lot of 12-personnel packages, and the duo of Kyle Pitts and Austin Hooper is a likely pairing in Week 1. Charlie Woerner was the H-Back last season, but his contract is expendable. Hooper was a hand-in-the-dirt player for Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, and he could reprise that role for his second stint in Atlanta.

Behind them, Joshua Simon and Brandon Frazier (as a blocker) could make a push for playing time as the season progresses.

Offensive Line

Starters: Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, Chris Lindstrom, Jawaan Taylor

The Falcons have an established identity along their offensive line, but Jawaan Taylor will be a new face added to this unit. Based on the personnel acquired this offseason, the starters are pretty well understood.

Defensive Line

Starters: Brandon Dorlus, Maason Smith, Zach Harrison

The Falcons traded Ruke Orhorhoro for Maason Smith earlier this offseason, and the new addition will come in and play the interior along the defensive line. Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison will return to build on their strong 2025 seasons. Injuries plagued both last year, but they showed some really exciting flashes of what they could accomplish when healthy.

Edge

Starters: Jalon Walker, Azeez Ojulari

James Pearce will likely miss extended time due to an expected suspension from the league, but Jalon Walker will reprise his role next season. He could see his role elevate this summer, and he will be a fun player to watch this season. In Pearce’s place, Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari will be the favorites to step in. Expect this position to rotate a good bit this season.

Linebacker

Starters: Divine Deablo, Christian Harris

Divine Deablo showed last season that he is one of the most important players in a successful Jeff Ulbrich defense, but he returns to the team without a clear running mate after Kaden Elliss left in free agency.

The Falcons drafted a pair of linebackers over the weekend, but Kendal Daniels is the presumed favorite to start games at inside linebacker. For Week 1, however, experience will likely win the day. Christian Harris signed this offseason to compete for that job, and he will enter the mix alongside Daniels and Troy Andersen.

Safety

Starters: Jessie Bates III, Xavier Watts

The Falcons could feature one of the NFL’s best safety duos next season, with the All-Pro Jessie Bates returning alongside Xavier Watts, who finished his first season tied for second league-wide in interceptions.

Cornerback

Starters: A.J. Terrell Jr., Mike Hughes, Avieon Terrell

A.J. Terrell is the established CB1 for the Falcons, but CB2 will be hotly contested. The Falcons drafted a first-round talent with their addition of Avieon Terrell in the second round, and the younger brother of A.J. will compete for an immediate role. Hughes is the incumbent CB2, but they will duke it out this summer. Avieon has some flexibility, and with the pending status of Billy Bowman Jr. (Achilles), the Falcons could push him inside for the early parts of the season.

Darnay Holmes, Sydney Brown (more as a box safety for some heavy packages), Cobee Bryant, and C.J. Henderson will compete for roles here, too.

Specialists

Starters: Nick Folk, Jake Bailey, Liam McCullough, Zachariah Branch

The Falcons completely reset their specialists, adding kicker Nick Folk and punter Jake Bailey. Both are veterans with plenty of NFL experience. The return game will also see a major boost after the addition of Zachariah Branch as the primary option.

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