The Falcons wrapped up the 2022 preseason, and final cuts are around the corner as Atlanta must trim the roster from 80 to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. Here is my final 53-man Falcons roster projection.
Remember, these are human beings losing their jobs and livelihoods. Some players won’t ever play in the NFL again as they realize their dream won’t come true. Please, show some empathy for these men.
OFFENSE – 25
QB – 2
Marcus Mariota
Desmond Ridder
Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder were always going to be No. 1 and No. 2 at quarterback, but Feleipe Franks is the unknown. He could be kept on the roster for his ability to play some tight end, but the way the depth chart shakes out, he’ll be on the practice squad.
RB – 4
Cordarrelle Patterson
Damien Williams
Tyler Allgeier
Avery Williams
The first three players are locked, in my opinion. Qadree Ollison and Caleb Huntley battled for one of the last roster spots as both runners looked impressive in their reps during the preseason. However, Williams’ ability to threaten as a big play, receiving back earns him the spot of the two practice squad running backs.
TE – 4
Kyle Pitts
Anthony Firkser
Parker Hesse
MyCole Pruitt
The first two spots were always secure with Firkser and Pitts, but the final two were up for grabs. Hesse and Pruitt looked better in the preseason than rookie John FitzPatrick, which means it’s the practice squad for the UGA alum. Pruitt gets the edge because he’s just as good as FitzPatrick as a blocker but offers more as a receiver. Hesse can also play H-back, which is why Keith Smith doesn’t make the roster.
WR – 6
Drake London
Bryan Edwards
Olamide Zaccheaus
Damiere Byrd
Jared Bernhardt                                                                                                             KhaDarel Hodge
The Falcons receiving core isn’t the most intimidating, but Arthur Smith’s usage of tight ends and Cordarrelle Patterson as a pass catcher should alleviate concerns of this unit. London, Edwards, and Zaccheaus are probably the only ones here that get real playing time, which means the final spots will be for specialized receivers and special teams contributors.
Byrd has blazing deep-threat speed with 4.27 speed, but Hodge and Bernhardt make the roster too. Hodge, at this point, probably is the WR5, but the Lacrosse legend of Bernhardt is too good to pass up here. He makes the roster if I’m GM.
OL – 9
LT Jake Matthews
LG Elijah Wilkinson
C Matt Hennessy
RG Chris Lindstrom
RT Kaleb McGary
T Germain Ifedi
C Drew Dalman
G Colby Gossett
G Jalen Mayfield
The starters could be different as Dalman and Hennessy continue to battle for the starting center spot, but Jalen Mayfield has undoubtedly lost his starting spot to Elijah Wilkinson. The Falcons have to be frustrated with the former third-round pick’s lack of growth, but at this point, there’s no way they cut Mayfield. The depth could go one way or the other with Gossett, who could lose his spot to Justin Shaffer because the team just drafted him. Gossett has been better, but that may not be deciding factor for this front office.
Now, moving on to the Falcons roster projection for the defense.
DEFENSE – 25
EDGE – 5
Lorenzo Carter
Arnold Ebiketie
Adetokunbo Ogundeji
DeAngelo Malone                                                                                                             Quinton Bell
The top four are pretty straightforward, but I decided to keep Bell in place of Kieth Smith because the Falcons have tight ends who can play fullback. Bell has shown up defending the run and rushing the passer, but most importantly, on special teams.
IDL – 5
Grady Jarrett
Anthony Rush
Ta’Quon Graham
Marlon Davidson
Derrick Tangelo
The starting group of Jarrett, Rush and Graham should actually be somewhat decent for the Falcons in 2022, but the depth is concerning. Marlon Davidson hasn’t lived up to his draft status but makes the roster because there aren’t many options. Tangelo, who is an undrafted free agent, continues to impress. The staff seems high on him, so I’ll keep him on my final 53-man roster. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Falcons scoured the waiver wire for a free agent addition to this group.
LB – 4
Rashaan Evans
Mykal Walker
Troy Andersen
Deion Jones
The surprise of this group is Nick Kwiatkoski getting cut. Deion Jones is back but has been relegated to a special teams role; however, I don’t think that’s where he stays. Debo will eventually get regular playing time on the starting defense in sub-packages. Still, Walker and Evans are the starters at this point, which could change depending on how they perform and how Jones responds.
CB – 6
A.J. Terrell
Casey Hayward
Isaiah Oliver
Darren Hall
Mike Ford
Dee Alford
Cornerback is the deepest position group on the roster. The top three of Terrell, Hayward, and Oliver are set. Hall has been up and down but remains on the roster. Ford and Alford have shown up in bunches, whether that be on special teams or otherwise; both longshots make the final 53-man roster.
S – 5
Richie Grant
Jaylinn Hawkins
Erik Harris
Dean Marlowe                                                                                                                Teez Tabor
The safety room could look a bit different than this. Tabor is the one to watch. He could end up being on the practice squad, but I have him making the roster here.
SPECIAL TEAMS – 3
LS Liam McCullough
This is how it’s been with the specialists for the entire offseason, and there are no changes.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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