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 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.
University of Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey is visiting with the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He also recently met with the Cleveland Browns. McConkey didn't have the most prolific college career, but he posted 119 receptions for 1,687 yards and 14 touchdowns in 39 career games. He's also a dynamic weapon in the backfield, compiling 216 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 rushing attempts. After running a sub-4.4 forty-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Combine, he could be selected as early as the late first round. Atlanta could use more speed in the new-look Kirk Cousins offense, so it will be interesting to see if they make a move to keep McConkey in the state of Georgia to begin his NFL career.
Free-agent pass-rusher James Smith-Williams agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. The 26-year-old defensive end entered the league as a seventh-round pick (229th overall) by the Washington Commanders in 2020 out of North Carolina State and spent the first four years of his NFL career in D.C., racking up just 85 tackles (42 solo), seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 31 QB hits in 55 games played (27 starts). He had only 22 tackles (11 solo), one sack and eight QB hits for Washington in 13 games (seven starts) in 2023 and will provide interior defensive-line depth for the Falcons in 2024 behind the likes of Grady Jarrett, Ta'Quon Graham and Zach Harrison.