Falcons Reveal Defense Depth Chart vs. Saints: Who Starts For Atlanta?

Who will start for the Falcons defense?

Jeremy Brener | Sep 6, 2022

Falcons Reveal Defense Depth Chart vs. Saints: Who Starts For Atlanta? /

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are crafting their plan to beat the New Orleans Saints in the team's season opener Sunday, and an important part of their strategy has been set ... the depth chart.

Head coach Arthur Smith and the team released its depth chart Tuesday, and here's a look at how the team will line up on defense and special teams ...

DL: Grady Jarrett, Anthony Rush, Ta'Quon Graham, Timothy Horne, Abdullah Anderson, Matt Dickerson

OLB: Ade Ogundeji, Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketie, DeAngelo Malone, Quinton Bell

LB: Mykal Walker, Rashaan Evans, Troy Andersen, Nick Kwiatkoski, Nate Landman

CB: A.J. Terrell, Casey Hayward Jr., Mike Ford, Darren Hall, Dee Alford

S: Richie Grant, Jaylinn Hawkins, Erik Harris, Dean Marlowe

K: Younghoe Koo

P: Bradley Pinion

LS: Liam McCullough

H: Bradley Pinion

PR: Avery Williams

KOR: Avery Williams

The offense depth chart can be found here.

The team is opting to leave its trio of Day 2 rookies (Arnold Ebiketie, Troy Andersen, DeAngelo Malone) on the bench to start the season. Ebiketie and Malone are coming off the bench for veteran Lorenzo Carter and second-year pro Ade Ogundeji.

Ogundeji is one of three second-year pros in the starting lineup, playing alongside safety Richie Grant and defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham. They are joined by a trio of third-year pros ... cornerback A.J. Terrell, safety Jaylinn Hawkins and linebacker Mykal Walker.

Despite the inexperience this defense may have, there's a lot of untapped talent that the Falcons hope will be realized on the field in 2022.

That talent will have its first opportunity to show out Sunday against the Saints. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Published Sep 6, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.