Falcons Have Vacant 53-Man Roster Spot; QB Appears Likely Addition

With Taylor Heinicke traded to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Atlanta Falcons have only two quarterbacks -- but also have an open roster spot.

Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. are the only quarterbacks currently on the Atlanta Falcons' roster. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons didn't wait long to create space on their freshly set 53-man roster, trading quarterback Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday, one day after trimming their roster from 90 to 53.

Atlanta still hasn't filled Heinicke's spot, and with the team's finalized 16-man practice squad not currently including a quarterback, it's within reason to believe another quarterback may be on the way shortly.

Several options exist on the free agent market, including undrafted rookie John Paddock, who spent all but 10 days of the summer -- apart from a brief stint where he was waived -- on the Falcons' 90-man roster.

Paddock aside, veteran names include former Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill and ex Falcons preseason player AJ McCarron.

An interesting name to monitor is second-year pro Jaren Hall, who was waived Thursday by the Minnesota Vikings. Hall spent last season working with Falcons starting signal caller Kirk Cousins in Minnesota, and Atlanta's offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, runs a similar system to that of Vikings coach and play caller Kevin O'Connell, as each worked previously with the Los Angeles Rams.

Hall made his NFL debut against the Falcons last year but was knocked out in the first quarter. Josh Dobbs entered the game after having spent just days with the Vikings and proceeded to engineer the road win over Arthur Smith's Falcons.

The Falcons could, of course, enter the season with just two quarterbacks -- but with the benefits of carrying a third, designating them inactive on gamedays and still having the opportunity to play if both Cousins and rookie backup Michael Penix Jr. get injured, Atlanta may be better off with one more.

But for now, here's a look at how the Falcons' roster looks with one spot still available.

Quarterback (2)

Kirk Cousins | Michael Penix Jr.

Running back (4)

Bijan Robinson | Tyler Allgeier | Avery Williams | Jase McClellan

Wide receiver (5)

Drake London | Darnell Mooney | Ray-Ray McCloud III | KhaDarel Hodge | Casey Washington

Tight end (3)

Kyle Pitts | Charlie Woerner | Ross Dwelley

Offensive line (9)

Jake Matthews | Matthew Bergeron | Drew Dalman | Chris Lindstrom | Kaleb McGary | Ryan Neuzil | Kyle Hinton | Storm Norton | Jovaughn Gwyn

Defensive line (8)

Grady Jarrett | David Onyemata | Ta'Quon Graham | Zach Harrison | Eddie Goldman | Kentavius Street | Ruke Orhorhoro | Brandon Dorlus

Outside linebacker (5)

Matthew Judon | Lorenzo Carter | Arnold Ebiketie | James Smith-Williams | DeAngelo Malone

Inside linebacker (4)

Kaden Elliss | Troy Andersen | Nate Landman | JD Bertrand

Cornerback (5)

A.J. Terrell | Mike Hughes | Dee Alford | Clark Phillips III | Antonio Hamilton Sr.

Safety (4)

Jessie Bates III | Justin Simmons | Richie Grant | Micah Abernathy

Specialists (3)

Kicker: Younghoe Koo | Punter: Bradley Pinion | Long snapper: Liam McCullough