The Falcons are officially preparing for regular season football games as the team hosts the Saints in the home opener. Atlanta released their official Week 1 depth chart, and we got answers to a few lingering questions; chiefly, Drew Dalman was named the team’s starting center over last year’s Week 1 starter, Matt Hennessy. Below are a few initial takeaways from the depth chart the team released:
OFFENSE
| Position | Starter | Backup | Reserve | Reserve | Reserve | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Drake London | Bryan Edwards | Jared Bernhardt | |||
| TE | Kyle Pitts | Parker Hesse | Feleipe Franks | |||
| LT | Jake Matthews | Chuma Edoga | ||||
| LG | Elijah Wilkinson | |||||
| C | Drew Dalman | Matt Hennessy | ||||
| RG | Chris Lindstrom | Colby Gossett | ||||
| RT | Kaleb McGary | Germain Ifedi | ||||
| WR | Olamide Zaccheaus | KhaDarel Hodge | Damiere Byrd | |||
| RB | Cordarrelle Patterson | Damien Williams | Tyler Allgeier | Avery Williams | ||
| FB | Keith Smith | |||||
| QB | Marcus Mariota | Desmond Ridder |
As stated earlier, Dalman beating out Hennessy is the most notable news from the depth chart release. It was something that took the entire offseason to work itself out too. According to Arthur Smith, the player who took “command” as a leader would be the starter, so we can only assume Dalman was that guy. However, I don’t believe the position is Dalman’s for the year.
“… nobody should be surprised if we end up seeing both of these players throughout the season. Arthur Smith has said he won’t rotate during a game like last year, but the pair’s proximity in skill makes them prime candidates for the hook if one underperforms.”
Another interesting tidbit is the running back room. Tyler Allgeier being the third string likely means we see a running back by committee approach like we did last year but with Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams assuming a bulk of the carries. Drake London was also listed as the team’s WR1 and is battling an injury, but things look positive regarding his chances of playing Sunday.
DEFENSE
| Position | Starter | Backup | Reserve | Reserve | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | Grady Jarrett | Timothy Horne | |||
| DL | Anthony Rush | Abdullah Anderson | |||
| DL | Ta’Quon Graham | Matt Dickerson | |||
| OLB | Adetokunbo Ogundeji | Arnold Ebiketie | Quinton Bell | ||
| LB | Mykal Walker | Troy Andersen | Nate Landman | ||
| LB | Rashaan Evans | Nick Kwiatkoski | |||
| OLB | Lorenzo Carter | DeAngelo Malone | |||
| CB | A.J. Terrell | Mike Ford | |||
| S | Richie Grant | Erik Harris | |||
| S | Jaylinn Hawkins | Dean Marlowe | |||
| CB | Casey Hayward Jr. | Darren Hall | Dee Alford |
The Falcons’ base defense is as seen above, but subpackage personnel is the name of the game with Dean Pees. More snaps will be played out of a nickel package (five defensive backs) than base (four), which means Mike Ford, Darren Hall, or another defensive back will be playing considerable snaps.
Pees has been outspoken regarding the Falcons’ lack of pass rush and his desire to shake that notion. We’ll see if the Falcons are rewarded with the overhauling of the edge group; Lorenzo Carter should be an improvement, and Ade Ogundeji has done nothing but impress the staff. Still, I believe the difference-making player here is Ta’Quon Graham, who was officially and expectedly listed as the starter. It’s also inspiring to see the Falcons’ young tandem at safety listed as the starters.
SPECIAL TEAMS
| Position | Starter | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| K | Younghoe Koo | |
| P | Bradley Pinion | |
| LS | Liam McCullough | |
| H | Bradley Pinion | |
| PR | Avery Williams | |
| KOR | Avery Williams |
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Photographer: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire
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