The Atlanta Falcons enter the 2026 season with a new head coach, a quarterback battle, and a lot of new faces trying to establish or re-establish themselves in the NFL.
New general manager Ian Cunningham took a frugal approach to free agency and worked on adding depth to a top-heavy roster rather than fooling himself into believing the Falcons were a player or two away from the Super Bowl.
With that added depth comes protection against injury or a bad season from an expected starter. However, Cunningham wasn’t going to fill all of the holes in one season, and in some cases, a player is just head and shoulders above his teammates.
If the Falcons are going to break their eight-year playoff-less drought, they’ll need certain players to stay healthy and produce at a high level. Noticeably missing from this list is a quarterback.
The Falcons have an open quarterback battle right now with questions surrounding the effectiveness and longevity of both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. Obviously, one or both of those players need to have a good season for the Falcons to be successful.
With that said, let’s get started.
No. 5 LB Divine Deablo
The Falcons added depth at the linebacker position with the addition of Christian Harris in free agency, and then they drafted Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. Falcons legend Jessie Tuggle had high praise for Perkins during minicamp, but Daniels has been sidelined with a pre-existing injury.
While the depth is better throughout the room, there isn’t a direct replacement for Kaden Elliss, who returned to the New Orleans Saints as a free agent. That puts a bigger responsibility on the shoulders of Deablo.
He was one of the best free agent signings in the NFL last season. The Falcons were 3-2 when he got hurt early in the game against the 49ers in Week 7. Atlanta lost five straight games from that point, and they were essentially out of the playoffs.
Devine will have a bigger role in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense this season with Elliss gone and surrounded by newcomers.
Record when Divine Deablo starts and finishes a game: 8-4
Record when Divine Deablo doesn’t start and finish: 0-5
No. 4 OG Chris Lindstrom
Lindstrom makes this list for a couple of reasons. First, he’s arguably the best guard in the league. The drop-off from him to a replacement is monumental. A lot of what the Falcons want to do as a running offense depends on Lindstrom.
Second, and maybe even more important, he’s so good that he makes the center and tackle beside him better. Ryan Neuzil took over full-time for Drew Dalman at center in 2025 and was the No. 5 center in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, ahead of Dalman, who earned a Pro Bowl nod with the Chicago Bears last year (and then promptly retired).
Lindstrom was also able to help right tackle Eli Wilkinson play adequately despite being the third choice at the position after the Falcons lost Kaleb McGary and Storm Norton in the preseason. Wilkinson wasn’t good after being plucked from his backup guard spot on the depth chart, but he wasn’t the biggest of the Falcons’ problems on offense like he could have been.
He’ll need to do it again this year with Jawaan Taylor looking to improve on a disappointing finish to his Kansas City Chiefs tenure.
No. 3 RB Bijan Robinson
As good as Bijan Robinson was in his first two seasons, I’m not sure I would have had him on this list a year ago. The thought was that the Falcons could survive the loss of Robinson better than some other players, with Tyler Allgeier being capable of playing running back at a high level.
Well, Robinson proved to be arguably the best player in the NFL last season, and bailed out former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s stale play calling and game plans with dynamism reminiscent of the great Barry Sanders.
The Falcons still have a quality backup in Brian Robinson Jr. and depth with Tyrone Goodson and Nathan Carter, but make no mistake, the offense runs through Robinson.
No. 2 WR Drake London
London just got a well-deserved contract extension that’s going to keep him in Atlanta for a long time. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests his ceiling could be All-Pro this year if he stays healthy and gets better quarterback play.
The options behind London last year were dreadful. Darnell Mooney got hurt on the first day of training camp and never really returned. Ray-Ray McCloud was dismissed from the team after the first month, and after those two, it was a rotation of former practice-squad players.
The depth looks better in 2026 with Atlanta signing former first-round pick Jahan Dotson, bringing back Olamide Zacchaeus as a free agent, and drafting Zachariah Branch from the Georgia Bulldogs. But without London, each of these players takes a step up on the depth chart. WR2 is already a question mark; the Falcons can’t afford to lose their WR2.
No. 1 OT Jake Matthews
The Falcons’ Iron Man became the most important player on the team in training camp last year when Kaleb McGary went down for the season, and a lingering ankle injury shut down swing tackle Storm Norton.
Matthews enters his 13th season with the Falcons, having missed just one game in his career… in his rookie season. Despite replacing Norton, who was placed on the season-ending Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list last month, with Wanya Morris, the Falcons are still razor thin at the tackle spot.
In May, I called the offensive tackle the worst position group on the Falcons. Morris helps to alleviate some of those concerns now that Norton is out for good, but Matthews is the key cog on this offensive line.
The Falcons have to think about life after Matthews in the next draft. He’s got guaranteed money through the 2027 season, but getting his eventual replacement next year and letting him work with Matthews for at least a year would be good business.
Honorable Mention K Nick Folk
Kickers are a dime a dozen, right up until the point you don’t have one. At 8-9, the Falcons still finished tied for first in the NFC South, it’s not a stretch to say that if they had the game’s most accurate kicker, they would have made the playoffs with at least one more win.
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