Will Atlanta Falcons Starters Play in Preseason Under Kevin Stefanski?

The Atlanta Falcons have a new head coach in two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski. On Friday, he completed his third day of training camp in front of season ticket holders, and on Saturday, training camp will be open to the public.

It will be the first time the majority of Falcons fans get to see the new-look Falcons in action, but many are wondering how Stefanski will treat the upcoming preseason games when it comes to playing time for key contributors.

The past two regimes treated preseason games as a hazard, rather than a tool to sharpen the top end of the depth chart in preparation for Week 1. Stefanski may be a little different when it comes to taking on the Denver Broncos on August 14th, the Indianapolis Colts on August 22nd, before wrapping up the exhibition schedule on August 28th in Miami against the Dolphins.

Will the Starters Play?

"I think every team is different; what your team needs can be different year to year," Stefanski said after training camp on Thursday. "I do think in general, it's good to play in the preseason. Now, the number of plays varies, of course, and we'll really treat the first game and the third game as games that will play some of our starters."

The Falcons have joint practices scheduled with the Indianapolis Colts before playing them in the second game of the preseason, and the starters will get work during the week.

"In the 2nd game, we're going over to Indianapolis to practice versus the Colts for a couple of days. So, the majority of the reps versus the Colts will go to our starters. So those guys will not play in that second game, but we'll work through our plan for the first and third game."

"In general, I think guys, to get ready to play football, you gotta play football," Stefanski said.

That will be music to the ears of Falcons fans who saw the previous regime so disdainful, or fearful, or preseason games that even players like Casey Washington were protected from action as a potential Week 1 starter.

Washington had one reception as a rookie in 2024, and could have used more live reps in game situations entering his second season. He was held out of the preseason and had three catches for 33 yards in the Week 1 opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a career-high 72 snaps.

He missed the next two games but added a catch for 19 yards on 34 snaps in a win over the Commanders in game four, and played 56 snaps in a win over Buffalo and finished with 0 catches on two targets. He was relegated to the bench quickly after that and cut in June.

This isn’t to pick on Washington. He’s just an extreme example of how little time players who were being counted on in 2025 saw action in the preseason, much to the dismay of Falcons fans eager for some real football.

What about the QBs?

Stefanski was non-committal on specific players when asked about quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. Neither player has been a full participant at training camp yet, and both have had their share of injuries in the past.

"We'll see when we get to those games, but again, we'll have those type of discussions leading into every game. By and large, we'll have a plan that will vary based on what we feel like that player needs to get ready for the season," Stefanski said.

Fans on the Hill

Speaking of the fans, Stefanski was thankful for the ones who came out to training camp on Friday and is looking forward to an even bigger crowd on Saturday.

"Our guys love it," Stefanski said of fans being in attendance. "I can promise you, the second you have the crowd out there, it brings a level of intensity, brings a level of excitement to what we do.

"I think they bring the juice for us. So I love that they're here. I love that they're on the hill. I told the guys last night about going over there to sign autographs. I was that kid. I know what that feels like. It can be a special moment for them.

"So we wanna do our part and thank them for supporting us. The least we can do is go over there and say hello, take a picture, sign an autograph."

It remains to be seen how much Penix or Tagovailoa will play in the preseason, given their injury history. However, Stefanski has made it clear he plans on using more potential starters than in the recent past.

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