Falcons Final 53-Man Roster Projection: Who Makes the Cut?

The Atlanta Falcons have a lot of difficult roster decisions to make in the coming days - here's our guess as to how the team's initial 53-man roster looks.

The Atlanta Falcons are set to finalize the first edition of this year's regular season roster, with teams around the NFL forced to go from 90 players down to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST.

Dating back to the spring, Falcons coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot have discussed how difficult it would be to make the team this fall due to heightened competition.

But now, decision time is here - how will it all shake out? Here's our best guess ...

QUARTERBACK: (2)

Who's in: Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke

Who's out: Logan Woodside

Ridder and Heinicke are locks - the question is whether the Falcons opt to carry a third quarterback and capitalize on the NFL's new rule that allows teams to designate a signal caller as inactive on gamedays but still have them available in case of emergency.

An important factor to consider is that while the Falcons only carried two official quarterbacks last year with Ridder and Marcus Mariota, they also had tight end Feleipe Franks, a quarterback convert who spent time as a passer during training camp in each of his first two years an filled the role as emergency signal caller.

Woodside had a solid overall preseason, completing 70 percent (42 of 60) of his passes for 400 yards while seeing time in all three games. He also has a strong track record with Smith ... but the lean here is to let Woodside walk, with the roster simply being too competitive to justify having a third quarterback.

RUNNING BACK: (4)

Who's in: Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson, Godwin Igwebuike

Who's out: Carlos Washington Jr.

The Falcons had four running backs on the roster a season ago, but the last one, Avery Williams, was also the league's best punt returner and an overall valuable special teams player.

At the start of camp, Washington Jr. was Atlanta's fourth (and final) running back, but he was impressive enough to where some felt he had a chance to make the roster. But during the preseason, Igwebuike asserted himself as the better option, rushing for 135 yards on just one more attempt and showing return ability while the undrafted rookie mustered only 69 yards on 2.3 yards per carry.

Atlanta now has to decide whether it wants to carry a fourth running back once again - and with Patterson battling a soft tissue injury and Igwebuike providing special teams value, history may just repeat itself.

FULLBACK: (1)

Who's in: Keith Smith

Who's out: Clint Ratkovich

Smith has played in every game for the Falcons in each of the past four seasons and re-upped his contract in the spring. The expectation is that he'll get the chance to extend his streak to five.

RECEIVER: (5)

Who's in: Drake London, Mack Hollins, KhaDarel Hodge, Scotty Miller, Josh Ali

Who's out: Zay Malone, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Keilahn Harris, Penny Hart, Mathew Sexton, Slade Bolden

The Falcons' offense is heavily predicated on being positionless with certain players like Robinson, Patterson and tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith capable of playing receiver and just about anywhere else on offense.

As such, the feeling is that Atlanta only carries five wideouts, with the first four names being safe bets. Ali emerged as a candidate to win the No. 5 receiver job during OTAs and became the favorite once Frank Darby went down with a soft tissue injury in the middle portion of training camp.

Look for the Falcons to try to keep several receivers on the practice squad - Malone and Arcega-Whiteside were consistently productive during the preseason and Harris starred in last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, catching six passes for 71 yards, which may have helped elongate his stay in Atlanta.

TIGHT END: (4)

Who's in: Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Parker Hesse, MyCole Pruitt

Who's out: John FitzPatrick, Tucker Fisk

There's a chance that FitzPatrick makes the team after putting together a strong training camp and catching three passes for 35 yards in the preseason while continuing to impress as a blocker.

That said, both Pitts and Jonnu Smith are locks, and Hesse and Pruitt are personal favorites of Arthur Smith.

Will the Falcons carry a fifth tight end? It's possible ... but doesn't feel overly likely, which could lead to FitzPatrick being a preferred practice squad option with a chance for a gameday elevation.

OFFENSIVE LINE: (8)

Who's in: Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron, Drew Dalman, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary, Josh Miles, Ryan Neuzil, Kyle Hinton

Who's out: Jonotthan Harrison, Tyler Vrabel, Jovaughn Gwyn, Justin Shaffer, Michal Menet, Trevor Reid, Barry Wesley

The Falcons may end up going with nine linemen instead of eight, but this group feels right. Matthews, Bergeron, Dalman, Lindstrom and McGary will start from left to right, while Miles is our pick to win the swing tackle job.

After losing versatile interior offensive lineman Matt Hennessy to injury, Smith was pleased with how Neuzil progressed, and he appears to have taken over the role as backup guard and center.

Similarly, Hinton finished camp on a high note, twice earning impromptu praise from Smith and may have played his way onto the initial roster as another reserve on the interior.

DEFENSIVE LINE: (7)

Who's in: Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Calais Campbell, Ta'Quon Graham, Zach Harrison, Timmy Horne, Joe Gaziano

Who's out: Albert Huggins, Carlos Davis, Demone Harris, LaCale London, Caeveon Patton

This is perhaps the most impressively built spot that Smith and Fontenot have put together, with both depth and talent being as strong up front as they've been in some time.

The group of Jarrett, Onyemata, Campbell, Graham and Harrison has significant upside but also a high floor against the run and especially rushing the passer.

Here, Horne gets the nod as starting nose tackle over Huggins, while Gaziano, who played in 21 games across the previous three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, also sneaks his way onto the roster.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER: (4)

Who's in: Bud Dupree, Arnold Ebiketie, Lorenzo Carter, DeAngelo Malone

Who's out: Kemoko Turay

This is one of the more intriguing positions to monitor, not in terms of roster cuts but how the group develops throughout the fall.

Dupree, a former double-digit sack producer for the Pittsburgh Steelers who's battled injuries the past several years, has been a pleasant surprise during camp and has a chance to rebuild his stock in a front seven that suddenly has a lot of talent.

The Falcons know they have a steadying presence in Carter, but the future of the room may be determined by the step forward that Ebiketie and Malone can take.

LINEBACKER: (4)

Who's in: Kaden Elliss, Troy Andersen, Nate Landman, Tae Davis

Who's out: Andre Smith Jr., Mike Jones Jr., Frank Ginda

For most of the summer, it felt like the Falcons would carry five linebackers, but there's a late sense that four may be the way Atlanta opts to go.

Elliss and Andersen pair together to give Atlanta a big, fast starting linebacker duo, while Landman and Davis put together strong camps to secure roster spots.

Look for the Falcons to keep Jones Jr. in some capacity - he ascended well throughout the preseason and has plenty of upside to come.

CORNERBACK: (7)

Who's in: A.J. Terrell, Jeff Okudah, Dee Alford, Clark Phillips III, Mike Hughes, Tre Flowers, Natrone Brooks

Who's out: Breon Borders*, Darren Hall, Cornell Armstrong

The Falcons have an interesting situation unfolding at corner, as Okudah isn't expected to be healthy for the start of the regular season and Borders, who's been impressive in the preseason, is suspended for the first two games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

It's important to note that Borders can be on the roster and not count towards the 53-man limit while he's suspended, and there's a good chance the Falcons do exactly that, hence the asterisk.

Meanwhile, the intensity and performance level in the secondary has been quite high over the past few weeks, and Brooks drew praise for Smith for being one of the more competitive players he's ever coached - upon hearing that, it's not difficult to see him making the roster.

This is a position that could change quite a bit within the first few weeks as Okudah and Borders return, but in the meantime, this may be a spot the Falcons go a bit heavier to start.

SAFETY: (4)

Who's in: Jessie Bates III, Richie Grant, Jaylinn Hawkins, DeMarcco Hellams

Who's out: Micah Abernathy, Lukas Denis, Clifford Chattman

The primary topic of conversation centered around Hellams vs. Abernathy for the final spot, and it appears the seventh-round rookie out of Alabama did enough in the preseason to secure the job.

Hellams, who led the Crimson Tide in tackles last year with 102, is constantly around the ball, per Smith, which is reflected by his team-high 18 tackles in the preseason. He also made two interceptions and recorded three passes defended. 

As a result, Hellams gets the nod over Abernathy, while Bates III and Grant will start with Hawkins seeing time in a rotational sub-package role.

SPECIALISTS: (3)

Who's in: Younghoe Koo (kicker), Bradley Pinion (punter), Liam McCullough (long snapper)

The Falcons made their decision here early, re-signing both Pinion and McCullough this spring after extending Koo last year.

The only other body brought in this year was kicker Matthew Trickett, who the Falcons released shortly after the start of training camp.

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