FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — NFL roster cutdowns are right around the corner, and teams around the league are in the midst of making some tough decision.
The Atlanta Falcons have one more preseason game Friday evening against the Dallas Cowboys to evaluate players on the 53-man bubble or candidates for the practice squad. Recent injury news involving offensive tackles Kaleb McGary and Storm Norton has complicated things and brought Atlanta's line depth even more into focus.
Tori McElhaney shared her 53-man roster projection last week, but so much has changed since then. I thought the extra time would make my efforts a bit easier, but, if anything, I have more questions now than I did a week ago. Perhaps Terrin Waack's predictions — which you will get Sunday morning — will provide more clarity.
The only thing I'm certain of: I'm bound to get something wrong
Here we go.
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks (3)
Michael Penix Jr. | Kirk Cousins | Easton Stick
Atlanta's quarterback room feels settled at this point. All three have had great moments in camp, and Stick has more than earned his spot after his performance in training camp and the preseason. We'll see what the future holds with Cousins, but he's been an asset on the field in helping this team get ready.
Running backs (3)
Bijan Robinson | Tyler Allgeier | Carlos Washington Jr.
In her 53-man projection, Tori had the Falcons only keeping two running backs. Her reasoning centered around Washington's hamstring injury, and the lack of a player stepping up to claim the spot in his absence. Nathan Carter made a compelling case in the second preseason game, but I can't shake what I saw from Washington in camp before he got hurt. He was playing really well. Plus, he knows this offense and the team knows him. If Washington is anywhere close to coming back soon, I'd give him the nod. If he's not, it will be fascinating to see if the team goes with Carter as the third back or only keeps two as Tori predicted before adding someone down the line.
Wide receivers (6)
Drake London | Darnell Mooney | Ray-Ray McCloud | Casey Washington | KhaDarel Hodge | Jamal Agnew
Tough cuts: David Sills V and Chris Blair
Washington has been a standout in camp and has rightfully earned a bigger role on this offense even when Mooney does come back. Although his name has been tossed out as a bubble guy, I feel like he's a lock. Hodge and Agnew offer a ton of special teams value, although the latter has not been on the field of late and I feel obligated to note he's someone I have a question mark next to in my notebook. To me, the bubble battle comes down to Sills and Chris Blair. I wouldn't be shocked if one of those two makes it over Agnew because he's missed time, and they both would be great practice squad candidates if they clear waivers.
Tight ends (3)
Kyle Pitts | Charlie Woerner | Teagan Quitoriano
Pitts and Woerner are no surprise, and Quitoriano has been solid since Day 1 of camp. Moving right along.
Offensive line (8)
Jake Matthews | Matthew Bergeron | Ryan Neuzil | Chris Lindstrom | Kaleb McGary | Elijah Wilkinson | Jovaughn Gwyn | Jack Nelson
Tough cuts: Kyle Hinton and Joshua Gray
Figuring out what this group will look like is a mystery wrapped inside of an enigma. At the time of publishing, the only reports on McGary are inconclusive, which makes it difficult to know whether or not he will take a spot here. He could be a candidate for one of the team's two preseason "injured reserve – designated to return" slots, which would allow him to bypass waivers and go straight on IR when the season starts. For now, though, he's here on the 53-man. However, Storm Norton, who will reportedly miss 6-8 weeks did not make the cut. He could easily be back in the future, though, if another team doesn't sign him.
So, with all of that out of the way. The depth pieces for Atlanta have had mixed results this preseason, and there really hasn't been a true standout. Wilkinson and Gwyn have position versatility, which is why I gave them the spots here. Gwyn is the backup center but can also play guard, whereas Wilkinson can play on the inside or outside. The final spot is going to seventh-round rookie Jack Nelson in part because of the injuries to McGary and Norton. The Falcons need tackles on this roster, and Nelson is a young player to develop.
DEFENSE
Defensive line (7)
David Onyemata | Ruke Orhorhoro | Brandon Dorlus | Zach Harrison | Ta'Quon Graham | Morgan Fox | Kentavius Street
Tough cut: LaCale London
The Falcons have played a lot of defensive linemen this preseason, but this group has been consistently at the top of the rotation. London has been a favorite player of mine — per usual — in camp and the preseason, but the presence of Fox and Street leave him on the outside looking in.
EDGE (6)
Leonard Floyd | Arnold Ebiketie | James Pearce Jr. | Jalon Walker | Bralen Trice | DeAngelo Malone
This group will have a lot of eyes on it once the season begins, but each player listed here has had a standout moment or two so far. The first four names are locks and should form the tip of Atlanta's pass-rush spear. I know fans haven't seen a ton from Trice so far, but he's looked good in his return from injury and is a quality depth piece. Malone has been getting work at both inside linebacker and edge recently, and he's a special teams hero. That versatility is enough to earn him a final roster spot.
Linebacker (4)
Kaden Elliss | Divine Deablo | J.D. Bertrand | Josh Woods
With Troy Andersen currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, it's possible he goes on the reserve/PUP list during roster cutdowns and does not count against the 53-man limit. Of course, under that scenario he'd miss the first four games of the season. It depends on where Andersen is in his recovery timeline, but that's the scenario I have playing out here. In that case, I think Woods has done enough on defense and special teams to land a key backup spot.
Cornerback (6)
A.J. Terrell | Mike Hughes | Natrone Brooks | Dee Alford | Billy Bowman Jr. | Mike Ford
Tough cut: Clark Phillips III
It's possible there's another player added to this group, such as Phillips, who has been dealing with a rib injury. But the emergence of Brooks might have Phillips on the outside. I have Ford making the roster because of his special teams skills, and the team has been testing his position versatility as well by moving him into the slot. Brooks, Alford and Ford can play multiple spots so there are a lot of options at Atlanta's disposal.
Safety (4)
Jessie Bates III | Xavier Watts | Jordan Fuller | DeMarcco Hellams
From the jump, these four were the primary operators at safety and they will all likely have roles on game day. Hellams was a standout player in the first preseason game. Fuller is a veteran who can handle many different assignments and has experience working with Morris. Watts has a calm demeanor on the back-end, which helped him snare 13 interceptions the past two seasons at Notre Dame. If he can do the same here in Atlanta, he will quickly endear himself with the fans. And we all know about Bates. I do like what Henry Black has done since arriving here, but cracking this list was always a tough task.
Special teams (3)
Younghoe Koo | Bradley Pinion | Liam McCullough
I believe Koo has done enough to win the Falcons' kicker job. The Falcons can use their international player slot on Lenny Krieg, but he would have to clear waivers first and then be the 17th member of Atlanta's practice squad. Krieg has been somewhat inconsistent, but there's no doubt he's got a strong leg. I do think the Falcons would be interested in seeing how he continues to develop. For now, though, I've got the original three special teamers sticking around for now.
