Now that Erik Harris has been placed on IR with a chest injury, the primary change to this week's depth chart ahead of Atlanta's at-home matchup against the Lions comes with Jaylinn Hawkins stepping up as starting safety. Last week, Harris underwent a successful, yet season-ending surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. To fill in the gap in the secondary, Shawn Williams has been activated from the practice squad as Hawkins' backup.
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Hawkins now has a great opportunity to prove he can be a full-time starter next year. So far this year, he has started three games, achieved two interceptions and completed 20 tackles (12 unassisted). Considering he remains at starter for the next few weeks, Hawkins now has the ability to start laying the foundation for what his role could look like next season.
That's all for this week's depth chart adjustments. Check out the full depth chart below:
OFFENSE
| Position | Starter | Backup | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Tajae Sharpe | Christian Blake | |
| TE | Kyle Pitts | Lee Smith | |
| LT | Jake Matthews | Jason Spriggs | |
| LG | Jalen Mayfield | Josh Andrews | |
| C | Matt Hennessy | Drew Dalman | |
| RG | Chris Lindstrom | Drew Dalman | |
| RT | Kaleb McGary | Colby Gossett | |
| TE | Hayden Hurst | Keith Smith | |
| WR | Russell Gage | Olamide Zaccheaus | Frank Darby |
| RB | Mike Davis | Cordarrelle Patterson | Qadree Ollison |
| QB | Matt Ryan | Josh Rosen -or- Feleipe Franks |
DEFENSE
| Position | Starter | Backup | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL | Grady Jarrett | Marlon Davidson | |
| DL | Tyeler Davison | Ta'Quon Graham | Anthony Rush |
| DL | Jonathan Bullard | Mike Pennel | John Cominsky |
| OLB | Dante Fowler | Brandon Copeland | |
| LB | Deion Jones | Mykal Walker | |
| LB | Foyesade Oluokun | ||
| OLB | Steven Means | Adetokunbo Ogundeji | James Vaughters |
| CB | A.J. Terrell | Darren Hall | |
| S | Jaylinn Hawkins | Shawn Williams | |
| S | Duron Harmon | Richie Grant | |
| CB | Fabian Moreau | Avery Williams | Kendall Sheffield |
SPECIAL TEAMS
| Position | Starter | Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| K | Younghoe Koo | |
| P | Thomas Morstead | |
| LS | Josh Harris | |
| H | Thomas Morstead | |
| PR | Avery Williams | Olamide Zaccheaus |
| KOR | Cordarrelle Patterson | Avery Williams |
Falcons Final Whistle | A Postgame Podcast
Break down the hottest topics surrounding the Atlanta Falcons and how they can impact the team's success with Falcons Insiders Will McFadden, Tori McElhaney and Terrin Waack. Like and subscribe to join us for the lively debate on Falcons Final Whistle.
Welcome to Falcons Final Whistle – an Atlanta Falcons football postgame podcast during the season that shifts gears in the offseason to answer a pressing question about the team's future each week through free agency, the NFL Draft and the offseason program.
