Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Head Coach
- Raheem Morris
- Offensive Coordinator
- Zac Robinson
- Defensive Coordinator
- Jimmy Lake
- Special Teams Coach
- Marquice Williams
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
The Atlanta Falcons picked up the 2025 fifth-year option on tight end Kyle Pitts on Monday, according to a source. Although the former fourth overall pick in 2021 out of Florida hasn't exactly lived up to his draft status, there's no way the Falcons weren't going to pick up his option. Pitts was a Pro Bowler in his rookie year, when he went for over 1,000 yards receiving, but he played in only 10 games due to injury in 2022 and has underwhelmed with six total touchdowns in his three NFL seasons. Atlanta's QB situation hasn't helped his cause, though. With a new coaching staff in town and with quarterback Kirk Cousins running the offense in 2024, Pitts' fantasy stock is trending up despite back-to-back disappointing campaigns.
Despite the Atlanta Falcons shockingly taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night, veteran QB Kirk Cousins' position as the team's starting signal-caller of the foreseeable future has not changed, according to head coach Raheem Morris. Minnesota signed Cousins to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million, with $100 million guaranteed, in free agency in March. Morris said Cousins doesn't have to look over his shoulder, and that there is no QB controversy at all. Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, said there was frustration and confusion coming from his camp because the team didn't use their first-round pick to improve the team in 2024. Cousins will be Atlanta's starter in 2024, but perhaps the Falcons are just giving themselves some extra insurance with Cousins coming off an Achilles tear.
The Atlanta Falcons selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. This is the first real surprise of this year's draft after the Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason. Injuries are the main concern for Penix, but besides that, he showed plenty of long-term upside in his two seasons with the Huskies, culminating in a national championship appearance earlier this year. The 23-year-old lefty will obviously enter his first season in the NFL as a clear backup in Atlanta, but this pick will give the Falcons insurance with Cousins returning from a torn Achilles in 2023. This selection will be debated for a while, especially given all of Atlanta's needs on defense.
Quarterback Matt Ryan officially announced his retirement from professional football on Monday as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, the team that drafted him third overall in 2008 out of Boston College. Ryan spent 14 of his 15 NFL seasons in Atlanta, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2008 and an MVP award in 2016. In his lone trip to the Super Bowl in the same season he won his MVP award, the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead at halftime to lose to the New England Patriots. He made just 12 starts for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 and threw for 3,057 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 38-year-old four-time Pro Bowler ends his career as Atlanta's all-time leader in passing yards (59,735) and passing touchdowns (367). Ryan ranks seventh all-time in passing yards (62,792) and ninth in TD passes (381) as a future Hall of Famer.
The Atlanta Falcons secured quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason on a four-year, $180 million deal, setting them up to have above-average quarterback play for the first time since Matt Ryan parted ways with the organization. However, the team is not done adding to the quarterback room. "We're definitely gonna add a quarterback," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. "We're not going to into the season with two arms." The team has Cousins and Taylor Heinicke on the roster, but most teams carry between three and five quarterbacks in the offseason. It's unlikely that Atlanta will consider a first-round quarterback in this year's class, but they could begin to take fliers on signal-callers as soon as Round 2 begins. Cousins will turn 36 years old before the start of the 2024 season, so throwing a dart on players like Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix would make sense if they fall to the second round. On Day 3 of the draft, Spencer Rattler, Michael Pratt, and Joe Milton III are potential project options to consider. Although any quarterback Atlanta adds can be safely ignored in single-quarterback formats, they might be worth rostering in deep superflex and two-QB setups considering Cousins' age and the major Achilles injury he is coming off of.